Ring Around the Roses
by Noxbait
Summary: Set vaguely S9. A mysterious girl, back from the dead, may be the least of their worries when the Winchesters begin investigating an unprecedented outbreak of the Black Plague. The situation only grows more complicated when they run into another hunter. A hunter who seems familiar to Dean. He just can't remember why. Story is complete.
1. Chapter 1

_This story is dedicated to and made possible thanks to my dear friend DamonsGirl92. After she got me hooked on SPN this year, I started this story just over a month ago and she was kind enough to be my beta right from the start. Then, even better, she became an official co-author and has written many chunks of this tale. We've had an amazing time putting this together, collaborating via Google docs as we wrote and edited. Many, many late night and early morning brainstorming sessions and about ten thousand texts have produced this story._

_We hope you will enjoy and we thank you for taking the time to read. We'd love to hear from you so let us know what you think! :)_

PS We own nothing. Make no money from this. Just enjoy everything Supernatural.

This story is set in current time, although it is almost in a 'bubble' as it doesn't really interact with the ongoing storylines in S9...

* * *

**RING AROUND THE ROSES**

* * *

Dirt.

No air. No breath. Just suffocating dirt. The smell of it, the feel of it. Clogging nostrils, filling mouth; grainy and heavy against the eyes. Unable to move. Heart jolted as if jump started. A silent scream leading to sheer panic as the scream only allowed more dirt to fill her mouth.

She pushed against the wall of dirt, hands desperately scrabbling at the obstruction above her, around her. Blackness, oppressive and painful, heavy as the dirt all around her, threatened to bring unconsciousness. Breathe. She needed to breathe. Her entire body spasmed, the fear giving her strength enough to send her hands through whatever she was trapped under. Hands moved freely in open space. Stinging, painful sensations assaulted her fingers. Her abdominal muscles clenched and she shot upright, face pushing past the dirt.

Rain smacked her face as it had her hands. Each drop that hit her face burned like a hot coal. Choking, coughing, spitting dirt out of her mouth, she gasped in fresh air. Heaving in huge breaths, she looked around. She was sitting in dirt. A shallow pit? A grave? Her heart clenched and she doubled over with the pain, feeling dizzy as she hyperventilated. She couldn't understand why the rain hurt so much. Or where she was or why she was sitting in dirt.

Breath squeezing in and out against a raw throat and tight chest, she tried to focus on her surroundings. Grey sky. Trees in the periphery. A gravestone to her right. And ahead of her. And all around her. Body already in fight or flight mode, she had no more panic or surprise to give at the moment, so she just tried to take in her surroundings. A graveyard. Why was she in a graveyard? She looked down, her lower half still under loose dirt. She'd been buried. Buried alive in a graveyard.

Shakily, she tried to get up, discovered she only had strength to drag herself onto her stomach and roll away from the dirt pile. Huddled on her side, she looked up and realized she'd been buried next to a simple gravestone. Been _buried_. The thought sent a vicious shiver through her body. Shaking her head, she stared at the simple gravestone. The very simple gravestone. It bore no name, simply the epitaph _Pestis Pestis._

The rain increased and now it felt like ice instead of heat. Her head hurt and the words blurred in front of her. _Pestis Pestis_. What did that mean? Why was she here? And most terrifying of all, who was she? No name. No memories. Body aching, she groaned and pushed herself into a sitting position. Her stomach rolled and she retched into the pit next to her. The grave she'd just crawled out of. Nothing came up, just the awful pain of her guts trying to turn themselves inside out. She couldn't remember when she had last eaten. Along with everything else she couldn't remember.

She wiped her hand across her mouth and realized there was something on her arm. Squinting, she brushed her fingers across the letters on her skin. It was a name and an address. Cut into her skin. It made her retch again. But retching into a pit of dirt was doing squat for her, so she read the name and address again and used the gravestone to pull herself to her feet. She had a name and an address. A plan. And a plan in hand was worth two in the bush.

* * *

She stood at the side of the road and shivered in the sleety cold rain. She might have a name and an address but she was currently in the middle of the backside of the vastest nothingness she'd ever seen. A street sign proclaimed her to be standing two miles from Bennett, South Dakota, population 383. Among her many issues, she didn't look like the type of person someone in their right mind would want to pick up. The rain had been washing much of the dirt and filth off of her, but she could feel the grime in her hair and on her skin and didn't want to think how awful she must look. Glancing down, she tried vainly to smooth the mashed fabric of the grey dress into something more presentable. The dress might have once been white, but it was just as grimy as the rest of her and not a single part of it hung right on her body. There would be no chance in a million that anyone would pick her up.

That terrible thought echoing in her mind, she heard a car in the near distance. Growing closer. She needed to get into that car. Needed to get to Sioux Falls. Desperation pushed against the sides of her mind. With each passing second, the car grew closer and the desperation only became more pressing and painful. She had to do something. Had to get into that car.

As it drew closer, her anxiety increased. Squeezing her eyes closed for a moment, something sparked in her head. A flash of remembrance. It wasn't a name; wasn't a memory of who she was, where she'd come from. It was an _instinct_.

She opened her eyes and saw a peaceful lake. It hadn't been there a moment before and might have been confusing to most people, but it was comforting to her. She remembered the lake. The car was almost to her now and she drew an easier breath.

She remembered what she could do.

* * *

Phillip Renkon felt pretty good. He'd had a good day at work and now looked forward to a good evening at home with his new bride of one and a half months. He had roses beside him and couldn't wait to give them to Leah. Humming with the inane background music on the radio, he flipped on the windshield wipers as the rain grew heavier. Squinting, he thought he saw someone standing on the side of the road. A girl. She stood next to a nice sporty coupe with a flat tire. A bright umbrella over her head, her boots coordinated with her raincoat.

The girl waved and he slowed. He eased over to the side of the road and hit the button to unroll the passenger window. The girl smiled and leaned down to the window. "Hi! Could I get a lift?"

Phillip wanted to get home, but he couldn't just leave the pretty girl standing there with a flat. He smiled, "Sure. A bit of bad luck, I see."

"Yes, it isn't my day at all." She grinned, opening the door and getting in, folding up the umbrella and setting it on the floor. "I'd really appreciate it. I need to get into Sioux Falls as soon as I can."

"Uh, Sioux Falls?" Phillip eased the car back onto the road.

"Yes." The girl's smile was bright. "I'm meeting a very special someone for dinner." She pointed at the roses, "I think you understand what it's like to have a special someone."

Phillip grinned, "Just married a month and a half ago."

"Congratulations! I'm sure you are in a hurry to get home to your lovely wife." She pursed her pretty pink lips and tilted her head, "I don't want to put you out, you're so kind to have stopped. I'm afraid I was a bit lost. Is Sioux Falls very far? I'm not sure where I am."

"Oh, it's a couple hours away, give or take." Phillip said, glancing at his watch. "Huh."

The girl smiled quizzically, "What is it?"

"It's just, the time, it seems...I mean I thought it was almost six thirty, but it's only just three." Phillip thought for a moment, then as if a switch had been flipped, he remembered, "Oh, yeah, I got out of work early. That's why. So, I can help you out. I've actually got plenty of time to take you to Sioux Falls."

The girl twisted her neatly curled hair in her fingers and smiled, "So it's my lucky day after all!"

Phillip grinned and turned down the turnpike toward Sioux Falls.

* * *

She felt the headache spike as soon as he agreed to take her to Sioux Falls. Changing his perception of the time hurt. Keeping him from hearing his ringing cell phone hurt. Keeping the pretty picture of her as a classy but helpless lady on the side of the road in order to convince the guy to take her where she needed to go wasn't easy. Her nose was bleeding already and that only made one more thing she had to keep up with in painting her picture. She could make him see her as whatever she wanted, she could even make him think it was earlier than it was, but she couldn't make time go faster. An hour was an hour and an hour keeping this illusion up might just kill her.

* * *

"There you go, miss." Phillip smiled as he pulled up in front of a two-story house she had pointed him to when they'd come into Sioux Falls. "You and your friend have a great evening, ok?"

She smiled that beautiful smile again as she got out of the car and put up her umbrella. "Thank you so much, Phillip. I don't know what I would have done without your help. You and Leah have a lovely evening as well! Drive safe."

He nodded and waved, pulling back around to head home.

She waited until he had vanished, then let the painting fade and allowed herself to collapse to her knees in complete exhaustion. She had to get away from this area. This wasn't the house she needed and it wouldn't be very long before Phillip realized how late it was. She didn't want to be around when he came looking for her. Of course, he wasn't going to ever see the pretty girl with the coordinated raingear again. Her strength was completely gone after painting that picture.

Stumbling on jelly-like legs, she felt the blood stream down her face and neck from her nose. She'd snatched a map from the guy's car and managed to look up the shortest route to the address that had been cut into her arm. Two blocks. Two blocks was all she had to walk. Two blocks felt like a million miles in her current condition. But she had to get there. Because she didn't know who she was or why she had woken up buried in a nondescript grave.

All she had was that address and the name on her arm.

So she tripped over her bare feet, slipped on the rain-slicked roads and choked on her own blood. Each step felt like a thousand pokers sticking her insides. She turned a corner and finally saw the house she was looking for. Cute. Simple. Fresh and homey looking. She had hoped, expected even, to recognize it, but she didn't. Just more blackness and confusion.

The door blurred and wavered as she walked closer to it. She had nothing left in her to even attempt to paint another picture. She just hoped that whoever opened the door either was someone who knew her or a saint who would take in a filthy stray.

* * *

**Sunday, 2040****  
**

**Sioux Falls, SD**

The water temperature felt perfect. Jody Mills dumped in a few more lavender bath crystals and grinned. Sunday night. Hot bath. Candles. Soft jazz and a glass of wine with a good book. Nothing better. Phone was turned off and she was ready to enjoy some long-awaited luxury.

"Oh, crap." She frowned as she heard the doorbell ring. "Now what?"

Half tempted to ignore the annoyance and just get in the tub, she sighed. Some people said she had a responsible streak a mile wide. Apparently it wasn't something you could just ignore. So Jody looked longingly at the tub, took a sip of wine and headed out to answer the door. Probably Annie from next door with another complaint about George and his never ending late night visitors. Jody was beyond irritated with George and his inability to keep his private life private, but another complaint from Annie would be just more than she could take tonight. Annie needed to learn to shut her blinds.

Opening the door, Jody prepared to send Annie packing. But it wasn't Annie on her doorstep. Jody gasped as she took in the sight of the unsteady young woman shivering on her porch. It was difficult to tell her age but Jody estimated late twenties. Her dark hair was matted and filthy; like the rest of her. Dress shredded, ill fitting and almost black. The girls face was sheet white under the filth and the blood flowing from her nose. Her bloodshot eyes settled on Jody's face. The girl's expression of pained confusion flickered to one of hope.

Jody opened the screen door, heart pounding. She'd dealt with victims of all types of crimes over the years. Something heinous had happened to the girl and it didn't look like she would be able to stand up much longer. But Jody didn't want to frighten her so she smiled, extended a hand and said gently, "You're safe here."

The girl reached out desperately to grab Jody's arm. Jody met her dark eyes and started to speak, but the girl interrupted her first.

Voice hoarse and whisper soft, she said, "I need your help."

"Come inside. I'll do anything I can to help you." Jody said. The girl wavered slightly, but held onto consciousness and Jody's arm. Jody reached out to put her arm around the girl's shaking shoulders. "You're half frozen! How long have you been out in the rain?"

She didn't answer, just melted into Jody's embrace. Jody locked the door behind them and aimed her for a kitchen chair. She wasn't steady on her feet and Jody didn't want to have to pick her up off the floor. "Here, here you go. Sit down right here, honey."

Sitting down heavily on the chair, the girl wrapped her arms around herself and squeezed her eyes closed. Jody ran to the living room for a blanket and put it around the girl; alarmed at how much blood was smeared down her face, neck, and the front of her dress. _Wouldn't you know I'd have out the nice white napkins tonight?_ Jody grabbed one and pressed it to the girl's nose.

"I'm Jody Mills." Jody said, brushing dirty strands of hair back from the girls pale face. Her skin was ice cold. "Can you tell me your name?"

Dark eyes looked up fearfully.

Jody smiled, "It's ok. I'm the sheriff in town. I can help you, but it would help me if I knew your name and if you could tell me what happened to you."

The girl's voice was muffled, "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Jody frowned, looking closer at the girl's eyes. Pupils blown, eyes red rimmed. Could be drugs, concussion, sleep deprivation, any number of things. "Did you hit your head?"

"I don't know." Tears sprang into her eyes and she pulled back from Jody's hand. "I can't….I just...I woke up."

"Woke up?" This wasn't sounding good. Too many young women arrived at the station having awakened in a strange place with no memories of a night that typically started out with a few friendly drinks and ended in tragedy. "Do you remember where you were earlier today?"

Another shake of her head. "Nothing. I can't remember anything."

"Ok. It's ok, honey. We can figure it out." Jody smiled, hoping she really would be able to figure it out. She asked, "How did you know to come to my house?"

The girl pushed the blanket back and rubbed a hand over her arm. She held her arm up to Jody. Jody looked down and her heart skipped a beat when she saw _her_ name and address scratched into the girl's skin. The situation had just gone from awful to creepy. Really creepy. Jody frowned and said, "How...how in the world..."

The girl looked up and interrupted Jody. She said, "Bobby sent me."


	2. Chapter 2

**Sunday, 2347**  
**Lebanon, KS**

"Will you just come here and look at this for a second?"

Dean tried to pretend he couldn't hear his brother's voice. He took another swig of his beer and pretended the kitchen was far enough away from the library that he couldn't possibly hear Sam's voice. His_ shouting_ voice. Yeah, the kitchen wasn't far enough away.

"Dean!"

Not far enough away at all. Dean grimaced and turned around. He didn't want to deal with whatever it was Sam wanted him to deal with right now. Just wanted to have a moment of peace. It was nearly midnight and he wanted to wind down and relax. Clearly, he wasn't going to get that. Not anytime soon. Deciding it would be easier not to fight, Dean headed into the other room to find out what was bugging Sam so much that he refused to shut up.

"What's the big five alarm, Sam?"

Sam was focused on his laptop, didn't look up, just waved a frantic hand. "Get over here."

Dean dropped into the chair next to his brother and glanced at the screen. A news clip was just ending. He shook his head and looked expectantly at Sam. "Well? I got nothing out of that."

"If you had come when I first called you." Sam cast him a sideways glare, then clicked on another link. "Here, look at this."

Setting his beer aside, Dean glanced at the screen. "What?"

"There's been an outbreak of the plague."

"The what now?"

"The plague. You know, the Dark Ages, the plague, Black Death?" Sam asked, "Killed millions. Bubonic plague, carried by rodents. Ringing a bell?"

"Yeah, yeah, I remember. The one that that stupid song is about_. Ring around the roses_."

Sam looked skeptical. "There's good evidence that that song originated much later..."

"Whatever." Dean shrugged, "Ever since Bobby told us about it when we were kids, that song has always creeped me out."

"Well, I promise not to sing it to you." Sam muttered, eyes scanning the article in front of him.

"Good. Alright. Plague outbreak; may or may not have anything to do with a pocket full of posies." Dean grinned. "Do continue. I'm all ears."

"No, you're all mouth." Sam rolled his eyes, "Ok, so earlier this evening, a hospital in Pensacola was flooded with over twenty-five cases of the bubonic plague." Sam scrolled down the page. "It's not an extinct disease or anything, there are several cases every year."

"But not twenty-five cases in one town in evening, right?" Dean raised his eyebrows. "That does seem a bit extreme."

"Twenty-five cases in Pensacola. Thirty-seven cases in a town in Alabama."

"Yeah, something's not right about that."

"Nothing's right about that." Sam agreed. He turned and leaned back in his chair, casting a questioning glance at his brother.

Dean shrugged, "I'm thinking this is probably our kind of thing, eh?"

"Sixty-two cases of a disease that hasn't reached epidemic level since the Dark Ages occurring in one day." Sam tilted his head, "I'm thinking so."

"Ok." Dean nodded, "So we do some research." He broke off as his cell phone rang. Frowning, he reached across the table and glanced at the caller ID. "It's Jody."

Dean flipped open the phone, "Hey, Jody, what's up?"

Sam watched his brother's expression change from that of a relaxed smile to that of confusion, alarm, and then maybe yet a deeper shade of confused alarm. Sam pushed the laptop back and focused all his attention on his brother. He frowned and shrugged at Dean, waiting for a sign of what was going on. Dean shook his head, looking more concerned by the minute.

"Ok, Jody." Dean finally spoke up. "Yeah, sounds like we should definitely talk to her. She said Bobby sent her?"

Sam sat up straighter in his chair, his disbelieving eyes meeting Dean's. He mouthed, "Bobby?"

Dean nodded and then said, "Ok, Jody. Drive safe. Stay in touch."

"What in the world was that all about?" Sam asked as Dean tossed the phone on the table.

Dean shook his head slowly, "You're not gonna believe it. We're getting company. Jody's on her way. Probably be here in about five hours."

"What's going on?"

"So a few hours ago some girl shows up on Jody's doorstep. Looked half dead, had Jody's name and address scratched onto her arm."

"What?"

"Oh, it gets better. She said that Bobby sent her."

"What? Bobby?" Sam shook his head, "How is that possible?"

Dean shrugged, "No idea. Basically, the girl is a mess. She doesn't know who she is, or where's she's been."

"So where'd she come from?"

"Apparently, she, uh, she woke up in a graveyard."

"A graveyard?"

"Yeah." Dean smiled uncomfortably, "Again, it gets better."

"How?"

"She crawled out of a shallow grave."

Sam shook his head incredulously, "She was buried alive?"

"That's a working theory, but I think it was something else." Dean said. He didn't exactly want to think about it, but he knew that it was a far more likely theory than the girl had just been randomly buried alive. "I think that she...I think she may have pulled a Dean Winchester."

"You think she got out of...out of hell like you did?" Sam asked. "That's what you think? How would that even be possible? I mean, you think Cas pulled her out?"

Dean stood up and threw his hands in the air, "I don't know what to think. I have no idea. I'm just saying, it seems odd that she digs her way out of the dirt, right? With Jody's address stamped on her arm, saying Bobby sent her?"

"Bobby's not in hell anymore, Dean." Sam said quietly.

"I know."

"So she...she knew him from before somehow?"

"Maybe. I don't know." Dean shrugged and took a much needed drink. "We're not going to do anything but make up theories at this point. Jody'll be here in a few hours and we can talk to the girl then and see what we come up with. I think we should just get a couple hours sleep. It's gonna be a long day."

Sam nodded slowly. He went to close the laptop, saw the news article he'd been looking at earlier and shrugged. It would have to wait.

* * *

**Monday, 0556**

**Lebanon, KS**

Dean had been expecting to find Jody dragging in a crying, shivering, wreck of a girl. When he opened the bunker door and let the sheriff and her unexpected guest inside, he was completely floored. The girl who walked in with Jody Mills had a shy smile on her face, looked calm and poised and all kinds of gorgeous. His surprise melted into a grin as he looked her up and down. Obviously, Jody had loaned the girl everything she was wearing, and even if it didn't fit perfectly, it fit perfectly enough.

Jody noted his focused attention and rolled her eyes, "Good to see you, Dean."

Dean tore his stare from the girl and smiled, "Hey, Jody, yeah glad you made it."

"Dean, this is Bennett." Jody put her arm around the girl. "That's what we're going with right now, anyway. She popped up in Bennett, South Dakota. Bennett, this is Dean Winchester."

The girl shook his hand and said simply, "Hi."

Dean nodded, "Hey. Heard you had an interesting evening."

The girl's shy smile flickered infinitesimally. Her eyes were troubled for a moment, then she recovered and looked like she didn't have a care in the world. She said, "Jody says you may be able to help."

"That's the plan." Dean nodded, motioning for them to come inside. He closed the door behind them and grabbed Jody's duffle bag from her. "Come on down, ladies. Welcome to our humble abode."

"Humble?" Jody asked, eyes sparkling with amusement as she took in the expanse of the bunker. "This place looks like the Ritz Carlton for secret agents."

Dean grinned, "Awesome, ain't it?"

"I'd say so." Jody nodded, "You do give out maps, right?"

"We'll give you a tour later. All you really need to know," He turned around to face them as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "is that the kitchen's that way."

Jody raised an eyebrow, "And the bathroom?"

"Oh, yeah, that way." Dean pointed down another hall. "Library straight ahead. Sammy's already been doing some research."

Jody couldn't even imagine what he'd been researching since they had next to nothing to go on. She followed Dean, still gaping in awe at the expanse of the bunker. When they'd described the place to her, she hadn't quite been using her imagination enough to conjure up such a fantastic lair. No wonder Dean called it the Batcave. Somehow it just seemed like the perfect place for them.

Sam looked up as the group entered the room. He rose from his seat and smiled, "Hey Jody!"

She gave him a hug, "Hi Sam. This is Bennett."

"Hey," Sam nodded, extending a hand. Bennett shook it, then stepped back, looking around the room in wonder. Sam asked, "You guys want any coffee?"

Jody shook her head, holding up a hand, "We grabbed breakfast when we stopped for gas. If I drink any more coffee, I'm gonna be smelling colors."

"Ok. Well, come on in and grab a chair." Sam motioned and closed one of the twenty books on the table.

Once they were all settled, Jody watched the guys exchange a brief, silent glance, then Dean spoke up, "Wanna give us the whole scoop?"

Jody nodded and touched Bennett on the arm, "Why don't you tell them what you told me."

Bennett looked up from the book she had been staring at and studied Jody for a moment. She nodded slowly and said, "I woke up buried in dirt. I don't remember anything before that. I got out of the dirt and saw this." She pushed up the sleeve of her plaid shirt, extended her arm and showed them the scratches. "I was alone and all I had was this. I hitched a ride."

Dean glanced at Sam. A few seconds passed, then Dean asked, "That's it?"

Bennett nodded, brushing at the loose strands of hair that were continually falling into her eyes.

"Nothing else? How did you get Jody's address on your arm?" Dean leaned forward, "You told Jody that Bobby sent you."

"Yes."

"How do you know Bobby?"

Bennett hesitated for a moment, then said, as if remembering, "Bobby helped me."

Jody shrugged at Dean and Sam's questioning glances.

Sam asked, "How did Bobby help you? How did you meet him?"

"We went fishing. This perfect lake. Bobby taught me how to cast a line." Bennett smiled, "We would meet every Saturday. He's a great guy. Lots of good stories."

"Yeah, he has good stories." Sam agreed, returning her smile. He couldn't tell if she was being evasive or if it were something else. So he prompted, "Fishing? What lake?"

"I don't know." Bennett frowned, looking beyond him as if seeing something else. "It's a beautiful lake. Always good weather. We just went. Bobby liked fishing."

Dean shook his head, fighting the urge to look over his shoulder. It was almost as if she was seeing the lake right now. He focused on her insistence that Bobby had helped her; had taken her fishing. Bobby did like fishing. Something just seemed wrong about the girl's story though. Bobby had never mentioned spending a lazy Saturday fishing with some random girl. Didn't make sense. He asked, "Ok, so Bobby scratched Jody's address onto your arm? Why wouldn't he just have written it on a sticky note?"

Bennett tilted her head and gave Dean a look that said how stupid can you be. She explained, "We didn't have paper."

"No paper." Dean said blandly. "Well, that must have sucked. At least you had those fishing poles." He shook his head and looked at Sam. This interview was going nowhere fast.

Sam shrugged. "Ok, so what you remember is spending Saturday's fishing with Bobby, he gave you Jody's address, and that you woke up under a pile of dirt."

Bennett nodded. "That's all I remember."

"That's it?" Dean asked, "Oddly lacking in helpful details. Did anything look funny around the gravesite?"

"Funny?" Bennett asked. Her eyes took on a faraway expression. "I can't think of anything."

"Nothin'?" Dean leaned forward, "Trees down? Looked like the scene of a Godzilla flick? Broken glass? Hear a high-pitched screech?"

Bennett shook her head slowly.

Dean exchanged another glance with Sam. He shrugged. "Ok."

"Doesn't mean it wasn't." Sam said, lowering his voice.

Jody watched them closely, then glanced at Bennett. The boys thought it was an angel. An angel like Castiel who had brought Dean back just over five years ago. What else could it have been? But they were being cagey about bringing the topic of hell up to the girl. They were the experts, though, so Jody would let them run the show.

Bennett asked, "What do you think happened to me? Because I'm not an idiot. I _know_ something weird happened to me." She glanced around the room, showing a hint of panic. "Something really weird. Bobby sent me to Jody. Jody brought me to you guys. And you know something. You know what happened to me."

Sam nodded slowly. She was sharp and deserved the truth. "We can't be sure yet, but, yeah, we do think we might know."

"So just spit it out." Bennett sat back, arms folded across her chest. When no one spoke up, she went on, "Look, clearly it's nothing good. I woke up buried alive. Just tell me."

Dean shrugged. It was just the flip of the coin as to whether she was as cool a customer as she seemed or if she was gonna be turning into a puddle of institutionalizable mush in a moment. But they needed to know what happened and they weren't getting all kinds of good answers so far. So he spit it out, "You have any memories of being in hell?"

Sam's eyebrows shot up at the blunt statement and he gave Dean a pointed look. Dean ignored him so Sam glanced back at the girl for her reaction. Her eyes narrowed and she stared at Dean. There was no panic in her eyes, though, just analysis.

After a pregnant pause, she asked quietly, "Hell?"

"Uh, yeah. Y'know, demons and all that." Dean supplied, watching her reaction carefully. "You ever been?"

"To hell?"

"Yeah."

Bennett's expression flickered again, then she asked, "Why would you think I was in hell? Why would you say something like that?"

Dean figured he wouldn't ever get past that sick feeling in his stomach that talking about hell gave him. He said, "It's just the way, the way you woke up. We've seen it before. An angel brought," he hesitated, averted his eyes from Sam and Jody, and said, "Brought someone back from hell before. And what happened to you, it's similar to what happened before."

Bennett took a moment to look at each of them in turn, considering and analyzing. She finally said, "I can't remember anything."

"Ok. That's probably a good thing." Sam smiled slightly. He leaned forward, "You don't remember your name? Nothing before...before hell?"

"I've told you everything I remember." Bennett said sincerely, "I promise. I don't understand any of this. I don't. But I don't remember my own name or where I came from. How is that possible? How can you help me?"

Jody hoped the boys had a better answer than she did, because she had less than squat.

Dean shrugged, "Well, Bennett, I offer no guarantees, but we are in the business of answering questions. Sam here loves research, so give him an afternoon and we'll see where we're at."

Bennett nodded, "I don't have anywhere I have to be. At least as far as I know." She smiled, a spark of humor in her eyes. "So I'm in no hurry."

"Good point." Dean grinned. He glanced at Sam. "You have a start on the research, right?"

"A start." Sam shrugged. It was less than a start, actually.

Jody asked, "Anything I can do to help? I don't have to be back to work until tomorrow."

"Yeah, actually." Sam nodded, "There are some phone calls that you might be able to make."

"Deal."

* * *

Dean rubbed his eyes and pushed back his chair. Time for more coffee. Jody might have been right about the smelling colors thing. But after hours of tedious research following a mostly sleepless night, he didn't care if he was seeing sounds and hearing smells, he needed another cup. He stretched, grabbing his cup, and glanced around.

Jody was on the phone, pacing in the other room as she had been doing for hours. Bennett was working with Sam as he divided his time between research on her situation and the plague that seemed to be spreading with every passing hour. Sam had seemed more concerned about the plague once Bennett had reported that the gravestone she'd popped up next to had borne the words Pestis Pestis. Dean didn't need a dictionary to figure out the word had a whole lot in common with nothing good.

Entering the kitchen, he refilled the coffeepot and wished he had some pie. Pie would make everything better. Leaning against the counter, he closed his eyes and tried to imagine that everything about this case would eventually make perfect sense.

"Hey."

He turned around as Sam walked into the kitchen. "Hey."

Sam handed him his cup. "Good idea."

"I thought so. Anything?"

"Sort of." Sam joined him in leaning back against the counter. "It's just a bunch of dots that aren't connected yet. This plague thing is bugging me. According to the CDC website, they haven't seen anything like it. The incidence rate is approaching epidemic levels. Like I said before, a few cases are common, but there are cases in five cities now. Just since yesterday evening."

"Yesterday evening?" Dean didn't like where this was heading. "Yesterday evening like as in maybe about the time our mystery girl pushed aside the daisies?"

"Maybe."

"Pestis Pestis?"

"Means plague, pestilence, destruction, curse…" Sam's voice trailed off.

Dean shook his head and turned around when the coffeepot beeped. "So Bennett is the plague? Bringer of destruction? I don't know, Sam. She seems like a nice kid, not the type who's gonna try to take over the world. She just seems too _nice_ to do something like that."

"So did Cas." Sam said mildly. "Right up until he tried to take over the world."

"Point taken." Dean grimaced.

Sam shrugged, "I don't know. I'm just saying there is something really weird about this being a coincidence."

"Weird with crazy on top." Dean agreed, filling their cups. He looked up as Jody walked in, snapping her phone shut. She looked about as positive as they felt. "Hey, Jody. News?"

"Nothing good." Jody shrugged. "I checked into the county records. The gravesite was procured anonymously."

Sam asked, "How is that possible?"

"It's not. There have to be more records." Jody said, "I'm gonna keep looking, of course."

"When was the grave placed?" Dean asked.

"1998."

"How old do you think." Dean waved a hand out toward the other room.

Jody shrugged, "I'd guess she's in her early thirties."

Sam ran the numbers, "So she might have been like fifteen or sixteen?"

"Educated guess." Jody nodded. "I'll keep digging. I might be able to do more back home. I can swing by the graveyard where she woke up. See if I can figure anything else out."

Dean said, "Thanks. We're going to need all the information we can get."

"You think she's telling the truth?" Jody asked, "About not remembering anything?"

They exchanged glances and Sam said, "I don't think she's telling us everything. There's something just…"

"Off." Dean supplied.

"Yeah. I think she really doesn't know who she is or remember being in hell. Maybe. But there's something more going on with her." Sam said.

"So what are you guys going to do next?"

Dean looked at Sam, "You got a plan, research boy?"

"Chicago."

"What's in Chicago?"

"Dr. C.W.B Economou."

"What the heck is a C.W.B. Economowhat?" Dean asked incredulously.

Sam said, "She's a professor of medieval history at the University of Illinois. She's also on staff at the Field Museum."

"Boring." Dean scoffed. "Sounds like a bad school day trip. Why would we want to talk to some old professor?"

"Because she knows a thing or two about the plague. She might be able to help us." Sam said, ignoring his brothers bored expression.

Dean shrugged, "Why don't we just take a trip to Atlanta and talk to the CDC? They're up on the disease right now."

"But a professor of history might be able to tell us some important, and maybe not common knowledge, kinds of information about, you know, maybe any kind of connection between the plague and the supernatural."

"Ok." Dean saw the sense in that. "You might have a point. So road trip?"

"We have an appointment with her tomorrow at 10."

Jody asked, "What are you going to do about Bennett?" She watched them exchange considering glances again.

"I guess she comes with us." Dean finally said. "We can't leave her here alone and you have a job to get back to." He finished his coffee and blew out a frustrated breath. "This is going to be an interesting case. And I'm not sure I mean that in a good way…"

* * *

Thanks for reading! Drop us a line if you have the chance; we'd love to hear what you thought!


	3. Chapter 3

**Tuesday, 0750  
****Somewhere West of Chicago**

Given that he woke up in a cold sweat, a silent scream on his lips, Dean thanked his lucky stars that the drivers seat was unoccupied. For a moment, he sat petrified in his seat, head against the window. His breath felt painful and too fast. He ran a hand across his face and shifted to straighten up. Squinting at the bright neon lights of the gas station and the pale haze of morning, he checked his watch. Almost eight. Swiping a hand across his face, he caught sight of Sam inside paying for the gas.

He drew a shaky breath. It had been awhile since he'd had such a vivid nightmare of his little side trip down below. He could only assume that the situation with Bennett was bringing all those warm and fuzzy memories back up. It wasn't a comforting thought.

He glanced over his shoulder. She still lay crumpled on her side, sleeping apparently without a care in the world. Dean took another breath and tried to look unconcerned when Sam opened the door.

"Hey." Sam said, getting behind the wheel and casting his brother an assessing glance. "Get any sleep?"

Dean grinned, "Slept like a baby."

Sam looked doubtful, "Uh huh. A fussy baby. Something bothering you?"

"I miss my memory foam." Dean griped as Sam pulled back onto the interstate. "Where are we?"

"About an hour away from the museum. I figured we'd stop for breakfast when we get a little closer."

"Yeah, and change." Dean said. They'd opted not to wear their suits on the ten hour drive. He motioned to the back seat, "What are we going to do about her?"

"She's an intern." Sam supplied, lowering the visor against the sunlight. "She's gonna be seen and not heard. I just don't think we should leave her somewhere at this point. I mean, we don't really know..."

"If she's gonna have a psychotic break at some point, I know." Dean nodded, glancing back at her again. He shifted in his seat and said, "She seems remarkably well adjusted, actually. Doesn't she?"

Sam glanced in the rearview and tilted his head in consideration, "Yeah."

"Except for the whole memory loss thing. What's up with that?"

"I don't know. I mean, you remembered it." Sam said softly, hating to bring it up at all. He knew how difficult the topic was for Dean to talk about. And he had a unique frame of reference himself. One of those things they never really talked about. Bad, bad memories.

Dean nodded and looked away. They were silent for fifty miles, then he said, "Maybe she's blocked it all out somehow."

"It's a possibility." Sam glanced over in surprise. Apparently Dean hadn't stopped worrying that bone. "I just don't know how to get her to open up."

"And how fair is that anyway?" Dean asked, tapping his fingers on his knee, "This girl gets lucky enough to be pulled out of hell and she doesn't remember a thing. How fair is it to, uh, you know, make her remember something like that?"

Sam nodded. The painful memory of the wall in his mind collapsing still left him reeling at times. He said slowly, "I think we need to get ahold of Cas."

"Already tried. " Dean shook his head in annoyance, "He's not answering."

"Ok, then we wait and see." Sam said, "Play it by ear."

Dean blew out a frustrated breath. "I need some coffee if you expect me to play nice with some old librarian."

* * *

**0945  
****Field Museum  
****Chicago, IL**

"So tell me again why I'm in a tie and about to be bored to tears by some stuffy old history professor?" Dean complained, not entirely under his breath, as he tossing his empty coffee cup into a convenient trash can. They were walking up the steps to the Field Museum as the Chicago winter wind nearly knocked them off their feet.

Dean hadn't stopped complaining since he'd put on his suit and finished his donuts. _A direct correlation there,_ Sam mused. He held the door open and smiled apologetically at Bennett. The girl seemed amused by Dean's behavior and smiled back. Sam said, "Because she's one of the world's foremost experts on the Black Plague. And Medieval history. And..."

"Fine, whatever, shut up." Dean waved a hand. "I still say we should have started with the CDC. _Atlanta_, man. Chicago's cold."

Sam just ignored his brother and walked up to the counter where a stern looking young man sat staring at them. Pulling out his FBI badge, Sam smiled, "Hello, we have an appointment with Dr. Economou."

The young man's stern expression faded to one of awestruck wonder as he squinted at the badge. Probably just a college student, Sam figured. He might have carried off the severe look with tourists, but he didn't quite have the practice to keep it up when confronted with the FBI.

The guy nodded, "Oh, wow. Yeah, sure. Um, you want me to show you to her office? FBI. Wow."

"Or you can just give us directions." Sam said.

Dean rolled his eyes at Sam and turned away from the suddenly starstruck kid. He stepped away from the counter and smiled at Bennett. "Hey, you ever been to Chicago before? We gotta get Giordano's before we leave."

Bennett tilted her head, a quizzical expression on her face. She looked a bit casual for an FBI intern in the leather jacket and miniskirt, but Dean figured she looked cute enough that no one in their right mind would be complaining. Jody had taken her on a quick shopping trip yesterday afternoon, so at least she had some clothes that fit. _And they fit just right_, Dean grinned appreciatively.

"I don't remember if I've been to Chicago." Bennett said, "Why are you grinning?

He flattened his lips and shook his head, "No reason. You gotta like pizza, though, right?"

Bennett narrowed her eyes and said, "I think so."

"Oh, yeah, you like it. Everybody likes pizza." Dean said, following as Sam headed up a flight of stairs.

"Everybody?" She asked uncertainly, slinging her purse over her shoulder.

_Girl doesn't know who she is and has only been topside for 48 hours and she's already got a purse._ Dean shook his head, trying not to wonder what she could possibly have in the purse. Maybe it was better not to know. He said, "Yep. Everybody. Even Death."

Bennett's eyes popped, "Death? What do you mean, death?"

This time it was Sam rolling his eyes and Dean just grinned, "Death. Great guy. Great appetite." He looked down the hallway and sobered, "Not real friendly, but he certainly enjoys the food."

Completely lost, Bennett simply followed the two brothers down the hallway. She wasn't sure what to make of them, but they certainly seemed to know a lot about a lot of weird stuff, so that made her feel better. Chewing her lip, she just wished she could remember how _she_ had become weird stuff.

* * *

Sam prayed for patience. They'd been sitting for all of five minutes and Dean hadn't shut up yet. He was trying to give Dean the benefit of the doubt and assume that the whole back from hell thing was throwing him off his game and making him more fidgety and annoying than usual.

"Man, I'm telling you, I could be doing so many other very important things right now." Dean muttered, "She's probably about a thousand years old. Loves research. Boring. I'm sure she's right up your alley..."

A door opened and his voice trailed off. Dr. C. W. B. Economou stood in the doorway in front of them. Her lips, fingernails and five inch heels were all blood red. Glossy brown hair curled softly around her shoulders and she leaned casually against her office door jamb with a half smile and a raised eyebrow. Diamonds sparkled on her ears and around her left wrist. Her dress hugged her as if made by angels and was the white of a snow-capped mountain...

Dean felt Sam smack his arm and realized he must have zoned out as he analyzed her attire. He leaned over and whispered frantically, "Wrong alley! Wrong alley. I'll take the lead."

Sam tried to hold back his snort of amusement as his big brother went from sappy pervert stare to Cary Grant-esque smolder in less than a heartbeat. Apparently Dean was going to make an exception for this stuffy librarian.

"FBI?" The woman asked coolly.

Dean nodded, smiling and extending a hand, "Dean Cetera. And you must be Dr. Economowo." He hesitated, stumbling over the name that earlier had meant nothing to him. "Economowa."

The historian's eyebrow went up another centimeter although her half smile didn't change. She slowly extended a graceful hand and said, "Economou."

"Right." Dean shook her hand, swallowing back his embarrassment at completely slaughtering her name. _Eko-no-mo_, he repeated mentally. He knew Sam was snickering at him behind his back for being such a complete idiot. He nodded and stepped back slightly, trying to realign his smile. "Uh, it's a pleasure to meet you, Dr..."

"Dr. Economou." Sam stepped up before Dean could make any more of a fool of himself than he already had. Sometimes being the little brother meant doing a lot of damage control. "Sam Kath. We appreciate you taking time out of your schedule to meet with us."

She nodded slightly, giving him a quick glance, before returning her assessing eyes to Dean. After a second, she tilted her head and glanced at Bennett. Sam thought he caught a flicker of surprise in her brown eyes. He motioned to Bennett, "This is Agent Lamm. She's a new intern and following us today to learn the ropes."

Dr. Economou nodded and slid off the doorway, motioning to her office beyond. "Please, agents, come in."

The office was bright, pristine, decorated tastefully with artifacts from around the world, and from different time periods. Sam might have been taking in all of the artifacts, but Dean was taking in all of Dr. Economou as she walked to her mahogany desk. He was disappointed when she slid behind it and he couldn't see her perfect legs anymore. Sitting in one of the chairs in front of the desk, he regained his smile as he realized there was still plenty more of her to appreciate. Her dress had been cut so that it fell right on the very fine line between scintillating and safe for work.

"In your call, you mentioned having questions regarding the Bubonic Plague." Dr. Economou said, folding her hands on the desk in front of her. "I assume it is in relation to the sudden outbreak."

Sam nodded and jumped in before Dean could say something stupid. Dean could hit on the professor later. Right now Sam wanted answers, "Yes. The incredibly fast spread and high incidence of the outbreak has the agency concerned. We are working with the CDC to investigate possible causes."

The professor tapped her freshly manicured nails on the desk, "You think it might be bioterrorism."

"It's certainly a concern."

"It is. The plague might seem very outdated and may even seem like a joke compared to anthrax, but it is a highly weaponizable disease." She pursed her lips. "If you are working with the CDC, you surely know all of this already. I'm curious why the FBI is asking me about the plague."

Sam glanced at Dean, grateful to see his brother wasn't drooling and at least looked like he was halfway paying attention to something other than the professor's obvious attributes. Sam said, "We are heading up a special task force. There are other agents looking at the terrorism angle. We're considering some of the more obscure aspects. The historical aspects. We're actually interested in hearing about...any potential supernatural traditions or lore regarding the Black Plague."

Dr. Economou's eyebrow rose again, "Are you talking about occult connections? Evil spirits? I didn't realize the FBI believed in ghosts."

Dean laughed, "Oh, not officially. But while the agency isn't all that imaginative, they are all that thorough. Anything you can tell us would be helpful."

She seemed to be considering their story, sharp eyes analyzing both of them in turn. Sam waited uncomfortably, sensing she was not the type to buy into the usual brand of malarkey they threw around. She seemed about to speak, then her eyes moved to Bennett and widened. She asked, "Is she on drugs?"

Sam and Dean turned as one and stared at Bennett. She did look a bit spacey, Sam realized. A peaceful smile and faraway eyes, she was looking out the window and apparently not paying any attention to her surroundings. Sam shook his head as Dean elbowed the girl. Bennett snapped back to the present and gave Dean a confused look. Sam smiled at the professor and said, "It was a long drive. I'm not sure she's had enough coffee. You were saying?"

Dr. Economou seemed to buy his story and shrugged, "I suppose there is about as much mythology to the Black Plague as there is anything else from the Dark Ages. They didn't call them dark because there wasn't electricity, you know."

Sam raised an eyebrow at Dean. Dean just grinned at him. He'd used the same line the night before. Dean nodded sagely at the professor, "So I've heard."

"As far as we know, the disease broke out in the Gobi desert in the late 1320s." Dr. Economou explained, "No one knows how it began, but it spread via the trading routes to Europe. Within five years, 25 million people were dead. Of course, we now know it was caused by a bacterium, _Yersinia pestis,_ but in the late 1300s, no one understood that a bacterium was causing entire villages to die within days.

"The plague is airborne and its spread was rapid, and it killed nearly everyone it touched." She slid a notebook out of a drawer and opened it up. "In regard to the supernatural traditions, there are many. Some people believed the Black Death was a sign of the disapproval of God. Judgement. A curse. Some believed it to be attracted by the beauty of young girls; perhaps as a judgement against immorality. Of course, there were other superstitions."

"Superstitions like..." Dean prompted.

She said, "That the devil sent a poison into the air. If the victim was able to withstand the plague, it was because they were righteous. If they died, well, clearly they were evil. Some believed the disease was carried by demonic dogs."

Sam saw Dean flinch out of the corner of his eye. The mere mention of hellhounds was still enough to turn his own stomach; he'd never, ever be able to banish the image of his brother being torn to shreds by invisible monsters while he'd been helpless to save him. He swallowed hard and tried to focus on what the professor was saying.

"One of the most interesting superstitions was that of the pest maiden, or plague maiden." Dr. Economou slid a piece of paper across the desk.

Dean picked it up and held it so Sam could see. It was an ancient sketch of a man standing by a window with a sword in his hand. A young woman stood before him wearing a white gown and holding a red scarf in her hand. Dean looked up at the professor, "Plague maiden?"

"It was a Scandinavian myth. They believed that a blue flame, or smoke rose from the body of a dying victim." She explained, "The smoke would then travel to infect another. Other stories presented the maiden as a wayward traveler who would wave a red scarf at a window of a house and the plague would then enter."

"Huh." Dean said, rubbing his jaw. He caught Sam's eye and rolled his eyes toward Bennett. "Interesting."

A phone ringing interrupted the interview and Dr. Economou picked it up her phone quickly. "Yes?" She hesitated, her eyes again looking from Sam to Dean and back again. "I understand. Ten minutes." She hung up the phone and said, "I'm terribly sorry to cut this interview short, but I'm afraid a small crisis has arisen with the delivery of a rare artifact. I must attend to it right away."

"Do you have any resources we could borrow?" Sam asked. "I'd like to do some more research, if possible."

"And if we might be able to meet with you again..." Dean interjected, doing his best Bond impression.

Dr. Economou seemed less than impressed with his smolder. She rose gracefully from the desk and picked up a stack of documents. "I have a few resources photocopied for you. I've included a pass that will allow you into the archive room, along with a list of books you may find helpful." She handed the file to Sam, then reached behind her for something on her desk. She looked at Dean and held out a business card between two fingers. "My number."

Dean grinned, "We'll call when we have more questions."

"Thank you for your time and help, Dr. Economou." Sam said quickly, heading for the door, hoping to get out of the office before Dean asked her to dinner. Bennett followed at his side and, thankfully Dean did too.

As they headed down the stairs, Dean studied the card, "Dude, check it out. Casey Winifred Beatrice Ecowno..mow...Economa, Echonomo..."

"Economou." Sam said easily.

"Bless you." Dean shrugged, "What kind of name is that?"

"Greek."

Dean mouthed it silently _Economa...what_... He shook his head, "Whatever. Casey Winifred Beatrice Echowhatzit. What a mouthful."

Sam grinned, "I don't think you have to worry about saying it often. She didn't seem impressed with you."

"Dude." Dean repeated, waving the card proudly. "Got her number didn't I?"

"I don't think she meant it that way."

"I saw it in her eyes."

"I saw disdain." Sam shook his head.

"She looked at me funny." Bennett said suddenly.

Dean stopped walking and looked at her. "You_ were_ kinda spaced out there for a minute, kiddo."

Bennett tilted her head. "I was just walking at the park. I don't think she liked me."

Sam frowned and shook his head at Dean's questioning glance. "What do you mean, walking at the park?"

"Why wouldn't she like me? " Bennett went on, apparently quite offended. "I didn't do anything to her."

"Bennett, did you recognize her?" Sam asked, touching her shoulder and leaning down to look at her more closely.

Bennett shrugged, "I don't know."

Dean frowned. This was getting them nowhere. Bennett looked at them helplessly without further comment. Dean shrugged at Sam, "What now?"

Sam studied Bennett for a moment longer, but it was clear she was completely confused. He looked at Dean and waved the folder. "Archive room."

Dean sighed and pointed across the lobby of the museum, "Starbucks."

* * *

"Hello, love."

It annoyed Casey Economou when he called her that. She sat on the edge of her desk, arms crossed, lips pursed. The Winchesters had barely cleared the threshold before he'd appeared in her seat. _The pompous canker-blossom_; Shakespeare always _had_ written the best insults.

She gritted her teeth and forced the words out, "What are you doing here? In case you hadn't realized, I was busy."

He leaned back in her chair and that smug smile she hated spread across his face. "Now, Casey, don't get so hot and bothered. I don't know what you're fussing about, I called ahead this time. We have important things to discuss."

Casey, not for the first time, found herself rueing the day she'd been unfortunate enough to meet the monster sitting in front of her. She said, "Just spit it out. What do you want this time?"

Snapping his fingers, a glass of fine whiskey materialized in his hand and he _tsked_ her with a shake of his head, "Casey, love, is that anyway to talk to the King of Hell?"

* * *

Hope you are enjoying! The adventure is only just beginning...


	4. Chapter 4

**Dr. Economou's Office  
Chicago, IL  
Tuesday, 1120**

"I thought you wanted me to call you Uncle Crowley." Casey said with a smirk.

"You used to call me that." Crowley smiled back. "When you were a little girl."

"I'm all grown up now."

"Yes, yes you are. And the spitting image of BeaBea when she was your age." He sipped his whiskey, then gave his head a quick shake. "I'll never understand why she went and fell for that farmer…"

Casey rolled her eyes. She'd heard that a million times. "She fell for great-granddad because he was a good guy. You know, upstanding citizen, good provider. Not a demon."

"Tomato, tomato." Crowley waved a hand.

"Did you come here just to relive your heartbreak, or did you come for a less annoying reason because I really am quite busy."

Crowley gave her that irritating, knowing look of his. The one he'd given her the day she'd kissed her first boy and lied about it to her mom. _He'd_ known even if her mom had remained oblivious. She hated knowing how well he could read her. The only consolation she took from that was the knowledge that she could read him just as well. She waited, eyebrow arched expectantly.

"Why were the Winchesters here?" Crowley asked blandly, his own eyebrow arched to match hers.

"I imagine because they thought I would be able to help them with their little plague maiden." Casey shrugged. "Maybe because I am a leading expert on the topic."

"Yes." Crowley smiled smugly. "You are, love. And who exactly do you have to thank for that plum education you received on the topic?"

"The University of Illinois, Chicago." Casey said without missing a beat. He might have made up all the tricks, but she knew all his tricks and he hadn't played her for a fool since she'd been in grade school.

His smile faltered slightly, but he simply rose and set his glass down, facing her and putting his hands on her shoulders. "I think we both know that the U of I didn't teach you everything about the plague."

"Neither did you, so just stop it, Uncle Crowley." Every once in awhile it just slipped out. She brushed past him, blowing out a huff of breath. Casey walked to the window and yanked the rubber band off her wrist, pulling her hair up into a messy bun.

"Casey, Casey." His voice softened, "I'm not trying to fight with you. I thought we were partners in all of this."

"Partners?" Casey turned back to him and smirked again, "Partners implies that there is some sort of equal share in an agreement. I don't remember you having any equal share in this partnership."

Crowley just raised his hands as if in surrender, but he didn't look overly concerned. He sat on the edge of the desk. "Fine. I may be your indentured slave, Casey, but we both know that this isn't a one sided situation. If it were then you wouldn't be in the pickle you're in, would you?"

"I wouldn't be in the pickle I'm in if you weren't a foul, smoke-belching dirtbag." Casey snapped.

"Now, now. Let's see if I remember correctly," He paused and narrowed his eyes, then snapped his fingers, "Yes, I have impeccable memory, of course. I remember a day not so long ago when words of caution came out of my mouth and you completely ignored me. I told you a Wendigo would…"

"Enough." She glared at him. "Just stop. I don't recall asking for you to rehash old times. What happened happened."

"It wouldn't have if you had listened to me."

Casey felt momentary panic well up inside her chest. He was right. Not that she'd ever say so. She should have listened to him. If she'd listened to him all those years ago, she wouldn't have… Casey shook her head. Live in the here and now. Don't think about the _what ifs._ That was her motto. She said, "Crowley, there is a plague infecting hundreds of innocent people."

"And demons." Crowley added, a finger in the air.

"And demons. And I need to be out there hunting the evil monster that's causing it. I thought that was what we had discussed last time you stopped by for a chat. I needed to find out what the Winchesters knew. Which is practically nothing."

"But they have the girl."

Casey frowned and tilted her head, looking at him in consideration. It had shocked her to her core to see the girl standing there in her office. They'd been expecting her to show up, of course. But neither of them had foreseen her finding herself in the company of the Winchesters. Casey really wanted to know how that had happened. She finally said, "They don't seem to know very much about her."

"You think they don't know she's the plague maiden?"

"I think they're going to figure it out soon, if they haven't already. Sam isn't an idiot; he's going to do the research."

Crowley groaned, "Why did you even agree to see them? For once I'd actually like to be able to just do something simple without the Hardy boys getting underfoot."

"Maybe so, but you can't deny that they're efficient. Besides, they are the ones who have the girl. If I hadn't agreed to meet with them, we wouldn't even know where she is."

"So lets just take her. No muss no fuss, snatch and grab, home by supper and Crowley's your uncle." He stared at her, "What's the problem?"

Casey said, "I think we should let them be. I want to watch them. They're going to investigate this thing no matter what we do. I'd rather be able to watch them and know what they're up to." She didn't say anything to Crowley, but she had her own personal reason for wanting to keep an eye on them. She'd never met the Winchesters before, but as soon as she'd laid eyes on Dean, she'd felt an uncanny sense of_ deja vu_. Made absolutely no sense, but somehow she felt like she knew him from somewhere.

She continued, "I already know what their next move will be. Because it's my next move. They're going to want to track down the point of origin for the outbreak. We still don't understand everything that is happening. We've got an idea, but not everything. And I'm not a happy person if I don't have all the information."

"You always were a curious child." Crowley nodded knowingly. "Impertinent too."

Casey grinned. "It runs in the family. Look, I thought you had bigger fish to fry. Battling Abbadon and trying to reclaim your precious throne? So why don't you leave me alone. Stop pestering me and let me do my job. I am more than capable of handling the Winchester brothers."

Crowley snorted, "I wouldn't be so cocky, my dear. They can cause a surprising amount of trouble." He picked up his whiskey glass. "Very well. I can tell when I'm not wanted…"

"No you can't. Because if you could, you'd have stopped bothering me years ago."

"You know you love me."

"Nope." Casey shook her head. "Really don't."

"I bought you a pony when you were ten!" Crowley said, waiting for her to crack a smile.

"Loved the pony." Casey didn't crack a smile. "Unless you want to help me with my bigger issue, I suggest you leave now or I might just find my nearly limitless patience has run out and I find it necessary to send your smoky backside down below for good."

"Don't be a stranger." He grinned, then disappeared.

Casey groaned. It just wasn't fair. Sure, having a demon beholden to you did have its advantages. But why did it have to be such an annoying, egotistical demon? Shaking her head, she reclaimed her comfy chair and lifted her phone. "Margaret, I just received a phone call. My sister is gravely ill. Yes, it was unexpected. No, I'm leaving right now actually."

"No, I'm not forgetting about the Gala. I'll be back in time for my presentation." She twisted the cap of her pen off, scribbling herself a note as she listened to her secretary's condolences. Chewing the cap, Casey waited till Margaret slowed down, then interjected, "Yes, thank you. I will be gone for a few days most likely. Greg can cover for me. He's itching to steal my office anyway. Cancel my meetings. And, those FBI agents are still down in the archives. Let them have access to whatever they need. Thank you."

Grabbing her briefcase, Casey headed for the door. She had a lot to do in a hurry. Somehow she didn't figure the Winchesters were going to stay in Chicago very long. She wanted to beat them to their next destination. Good thing she'd already packed her suitcase. She had a long trip ahead of her.

* * *

**Field Museum Archive  
****Chicago, IL  
****Tuesday, 1203**

Dean crumpled up the truffle wrapper and let it drop pointedly onto the table. Right next to the other six wrappers. He closed the book he'd been pretending to read and rubbed his eyes. A shake of his coffee cup revealed what'd he'd been afraid of: no more coffee. With a groan he looked around the archive room. Sam was making yet another trip to the stacks for more ancient tomes and Bennett stood staring out the window at the sleety snow falling outside. She'd started out at the table with them, looking confused and completely uncertain as to what they were doing. About ten minutes into it, she had simply walked away. She'd been standing in front of the window ever since.

It bugged him. _She_ bugged him. Not that she was a bad person or anything. _At least not as far as we know_. She was actually pretty cute and pleasant; except when she looked like she was tripping out. Dean shifted and looked away from her. He couldn't forget the nightmare he'd had on the trip to Chicago. Shivering, he tried to refocus his attention on his surroundings. The ornate clock with the creepy carvings of singing children showed that it was just past noon. Exactly ten minutes since the last time he'd looked.

He groaned again, louder, just so Sam couldn't possibly not notice. They were getting nowhere and he hated this part of the job. Research was fine if it didn't take all day. But he was starving. He prepared to groan again, but paused and sat up as Sam walked back over.

"Are you done yet?" Dean asked, "I promised Bennett we'd get Giordanos. For lunch."

Sam sat down, looking first at the collection of resources he had amassed, then up at his brother. He said, "Dean, We've only been looking for a couple hours."

"Long hours. In a library." Dean complained.

"You're just annoyed that you didn't get the chance to hit on Dr. Economou." Sam grinned, then sobered. "Look, man. We've got two buckets of crazy on our hands. Buckets which may or may not be connected."

Dean leaned forward and lowered his voice, "Yeah, so about that." He nodded his head over toward Bennett. "What do you think about her anyway?"

"I don't know. I really don't." Sam admitted, "But there has to be a connection. I'm sorry, I can't believe she just randomly pops up under a gravestone that says Pestis Pestis on the exact same day that a completely unprecedented outbreak of the Bubonic Plague begins. That is not a coincidence."

"It does stretch the bounds of believability." Dean agreed, pulling his eyes away from Bennett. He said, "So she's got something to do with the plague. Where do we go from here?"

Sam shrugged, "I need more time. There are so many legends and records...I'll make copies of what I can. Then, we need to go to the source."

"Source?"

"Where the plague is hitting. Specifically, where it hit first. We need to find out if anyone saw anything, if there is a connection between the victims..."

"The usual." Dean said, "What about her?"

Sam sat back and raised his hands, "We don't have much of a choice. We don't know if she's lying or truly has no memories, but we can't just leave her someplace. For what it's worth, Bobby sent her to Jody. I have no idea how, but if that's true, Bobby must have known Jody would know how to reach us. And if Bobby sent her, we need to help her."

"Ok. So she comes too." Dean shook his head and looked at the pile of documents spread out in front of them. He frowned and pulled a file out. Skimming the paper, Dean remembered something the historian had mentioned earlier. He looked up, keeping his voice soft. "What was it the professor said about the myth about the plague? Something about a girl walking around and blue smoke?"

Sam nodded, "Yeah. The plague maiden. I've been focusing on that particular myths, actually, given..." He tilted his head toward Bennett. "I think it's a bit far fetched, but. .."

"Huh. She's the plague maiden. Interesting thought. What about the smoke, though? Demon?" Dean asked. "It would make sense, eh? Demonic virus. Not the first time we've run into one of those."

"I guess. I don't know of any lore talking about demons and blue smoke, though."

"If I've learned one thing over the years, it's that there is a lot of lore not in the lore." Dean shook his head in disgust. His phone rang and he decided it was a good excuse to let Sam finish the research while he slipped out in the hope of running into the professor. Or another cup of coffee at least. And the truffles. Those had been amazing. "I'll just grab this..."

Sam smiled, knowing Dean was looking for any excuse to get out of the dusty archive. He didn't fight him. Often it was easier, oh about ten times easier in fact, to get research done when his brother was occupied elsewhere.

* * *

"Jody?" Dean answered the phone, stepping out into the hallway. "Hey, what's up?"

"Not a lot actually." Jody answered. "Been doing my homework, but I've hit a few walls along the way. I stopped in Bennett on my way home. Did some digging."

"Literal or figurative?"

"Both." Jody sounded amused, "I did the figurative first then went to the graveyard."

Dean grinned, "You desecrated a grave? Why, Sheriff Mills..."

"An empty one."

"So whoever this girl is, she really is back from hell and hasn't left her bones someplace?"

"That's about the gist of it." Jody agreed. "I tried to get more details on who had been buried there, but I'm not getting anywhere. All I did get was a bunch of paper trails and the date. August 3rd, 1998 was when the body was buried. No one attended the funeral. Sealed in a very simple pine box. Nothing personal or interesting."

Dean rubbed his jaw and watched a harried grad student rush down the hallway with a laptop open in one arm while he typed with his other hand. Blowing out a breath, Dean asked, "So that doesn't do much to clear up the mystery, does it?"

Jody snorted, "Not really. But I'm still looking. I figure you boys have other things you need to be researching, so I'll stay on our mystery girl's apparent trip topside and her history. Now that I have a date of burial, I may be able to do a bit more digging. I mean, it will be a huge job, but I can start looking at deaths that occurred prior to August 3rd, 1998."

"Yeah, thanks, Jody. That's great. Sam's busy working on the plague angle so anything you can help with is great." He leaned against a railing overlooking the museum floor below. "What do you think about all of this?"

"I think I'd like to have a talk with Bobby Singer is what I think about all of this."

Dean sighed. He'd like to have a talk with Bobby too. He missed the man.

Jody went on, "Here's what I think. I think Bobby was taking care of people down there just like he did up here. I think he protected her somehow. Maybe he protected a lot of people. Maybe he told them who to look for if they ever got free. Obviously he told her how to find me. I don't know what it all means. But I do know this. That girl is scared."

"She seems pretty calm and collected if you ask me."

"Did I ask you, Dean Winchester?" Jody asked sternly, "I did not. I'm telling you. She was a mess when she arrived, although, like you say, she stayed pretty calm and collected. But, even after I got her cleaned up and comfy on the couch, I could see she was terrified. And not just because she'd dug herself out of the dirt with no memories."

"You think she does remember."

"I think she wants to forget, Dean." Jody said gently. "I've seen people after disasters, after shootings, after violent crimes, trauma of any sort. And she's been through something traumatic; who knows what happened to her originally, but waking up buried alive counts as trauma. She's holding it together because she's got a good coping mechanism. A great coping mechanism. Whatever it is, it's working for her right now. But it probably isn't going to hold up for long. Right now, nothing else has happened to her. We have no idea what might trigger her, though. When something spooks her... well, who knows what's going to happen when she isn't able to cope? I'm worried about her."

Dean said, "I know. And you're right, we don't know what's going to affect her. So far, she just spaces out every now and then. But she slept the entire trip so we haven't honestly spent very much time talking to her."

"Are you boys staying in Chicago?"

"No, Sam wants to check out the source of the plague. I think he wants to hit Pensacola so we'll be road tripping with mystery girl. We'll have lots of time to get to know Bennett better."

"Alright, well you be careful." Jody used her mom voice. It felt good to have a couple boys to use it on from time to time. "Stay in touch, you hear? I'll let you know when I have anything new on my end."

"Thanks. Hey, Jody, why don't you look for people who died of the plague. I mean, we don't know that it has anything to do with what happened to her, but the gravestone did say_ Pestis Pestis_." Dean said, "I imagine the plague has something to do with it."

"Huh. That's a great idea. Might even make the search easier."

Dean smiled, "I do what I can. Alright, catch you later."

"Be careful."

"Yes, mom." Dean said, knowing Jody was smiling on the other end of the call. He closed the phone and decided to come up with a question to ask Dr. Economou. Whistling, Dean headed back toward her office.

* * *

Sam set the last volume on the rack and looked at the table. Rubbing his neck, he squeezed his eyes closed for a moment. Too much reading, too little sleep. Ignoring the faint headache, he stacked up the copies that Dr. Economou had give them and added another pile of copies he'd just made. It was a thick pile. He was going to be spending most of the trip to Florida trying to make heads or tails of the information. Glancing at his watch, he paused to wonder where Dean had gone. Probably trying to score with the historian. Or buying more chocolate. Either option was about as likely as the other. Sam looked over at Bennett and his headache doubled. _Probably should have had another cup of coffee_, he figured. He left the paperwork and joined her at the window.

"Hey." He said gently, trying not to startle her. She'd seemed very calm all along, but given what they strongly suspected she'd been through, he wasn't taking any chances.

Bennett turned and looked at him, but her eyes had that faraway look to them. She smiled slightly and said, "It's such a nice day."

Sam ignored the ugly sleet and grey sky outside and smiled, "How are you doing?"

"Good. I like it here."

"Bennett, where are you?" Sam asked bluntly, on a hunch.

She looked at him quizzically, "At the lake." She pointed beyond him. "It's so peaceful here. Bobby told me about this place."

Guessing that she was hallucinating, he asked gently, "Is Bobby around right now, Bennett?"

Bennett blinked a few times, then looked at him sadly, "Bobby took care of me. But he left."

"He left?" Sam prompted, watching her closely. She'd lost a bit of the faraway look, and seemed more confused. "Bobby left?"

"He said he'd take care of me, but he…" She broke off, her eyes growing wide.

For the first time since they'd been in the archive room, Sam felt like maybe she was actually with him in the present. He watched her, but remained quiet. Bennett's respirations increased as she stared at him. There was growing panic in her eyes and she stepped back from him.

"I know you!" Bennett whispered, hands out as if to keep him away. Then she began to shout, "It was _you_. I saw you. What did you do to Bobby?"

"What? I didn't do anything to Bobby." Sam said, his head pounding as her voice rose, "Bobby is, was, my friend. He was as good as a father to me…"

Bennett shook her head, tears in her panicked eyes. "You took him. Why would you do that? He was going to go fishing with me and you took him away! We took care of each other and then he was gone and I was all alone. Where did you take Bobby?"

Sam's heart skipped a beat and he had to put out a hand against the window sill as spikes of hot pain stabbed through his head. Memories of his trip through purgatory and back into hell assaulted him. Bobby. The blackness. The pain, the heat. The agony of the trials all rushed back at him and left him nearly breathless. He _had_ taken Bobby. Away from hell, out of purgatory, to heaven. Had Bennett been there? She said she knew him. Had he missed her in the dark? He'd been there for Bobby, not focused on anything except getting him out. His thoughts swam and he put his free hand to his aching head.

"Why did you take him away?" Bennett whispered and she backed up against the wall; fearful eyes looking all around the room as if something were going to jump out and attack her at any moment. "Bobby took care of me. He wouldn't have left me!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Sam tried to force the words out past the lump in his throat.

He couldn't think straight and didn't know how to calm the girl down. Another spike of pain sent him to his knees, hand to his head. Leaning against the wall, he looked up at Bennett. She was staring out the window again with tear stains on her cheeks but a peaceful smile on her face. After a few seconds, she turned and walked out of the room.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed! The plot, as they say, thickens... Would love to hear what you thought, if you had a moment to drop us a line! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Field Museum Hallway**  
**Chicago, IL  
Tuesday**

"Dr. Echo!" Dean called out, seeing trim legs and red heels turn a corner ahead of him. Fist in the air at his luck in running into her, he jogged to the end of the hall, skidded to a stop and turned the corner, trying to look like he hadn't just been running after her.

She stood there, 5'4" of brilliance and beauty in one rather bewitching package. _And what a package_...Dean smiled and said, "I'm so glad I caught you."

"It's Economou." She said, ignoring his pleasantry, looking like she was in a big hurry. "Did you have another question?"

Her hair was bundled on top of her head in a messy bun and Dean's smile faded. While she still looked as classy as she had earlier, there was something disconcertingly familiar about her now that she had her hair up. Mentally giving himself a shake, he focused his attention on his mission instead of her hair. She looked ready to get some serious work done and Dean sensed she was distracted. He was going to have to make every word count.

He nodded, "I did actually. Two questions actually. First, was there ever any mention of some kind of supernatural connection with that blue smoke you told us about? People say they saw, oh I don't know, a ghost or something, maybe a demon?"

Dr. Economou narrowed her dark eyes and put a hand on her hip. Her weight shifted to her left foot and her hip jutted out, the movement screaming irritation, "A demon. Surely you must be joking. You said you were with the FBI, correct? Why do I feel like I just don't believe you?"

Dean dragged his attention from her adorable body language back to her irritated face. He knew she hadn't been buying their cover completely earlier. They should have tried a different cover. Sam had suggested going in as historians researching occult connections to the plague, but Dean had pushed for FBI. FBI got you in just about any door.

He probably should have listened to Sam. He said, "Look, Professor, I'm FBI alright and there's this thing called obstruction of justice we can…" He broke off as her stern expression faltered and she snickered. He frowned at her, "I'm not sure you understand the seriousness of this situation."

Her smile was cool and didn't light her dark eyes, "I watch the news. I see that a disease that wiped out 200 million souls hundreds of years ago is now attacking at rates we haven't seen in hundreds of years. I'm no scientist, but I do know the Black Death. Very well. It isn't a nice disease. So I think I fully grasp the seriousness of this situation. Perhaps more than you do."

"Ok. So can we set aside the turf war?" Dean asked, remembering he was trying to get on her good side. "Because I do have an investigation to carry out. It sounds like you don't want the plague to spread and we don't either."

Dr. Economou shifted her briefcase from one hand to the other and nodded, "There were many superstitions. I told you about some of them, and gave you more information in the file. The Dark Ages were full of superstitions and insane ideas. Yes, there were those who believed the Black Death was caused by demons. As punishment." She paused, thinking, then nodded, "And I'm not sure anyone has made the connection in any literature I've read, but I suppose that blue smoke could be linked with a mythical being. It was said to move from home to home, person to person."

_Definitely sounds like a demon to me_, Dean thought.

"What was your second question?" She interrupted his musing.

He grinned and leaned closer, "Dinner. You, me. Tonight?"

Her lips curved in a beautiful smile. "Dinner?"

Dean nodded, "You, me."

"Tonight?"

"Is it a date?"

"Absolutely not."

The historian's smile vanished and she had that stern expression on her face again. Dean stepped back. He didn't always win, but usually he didn't get slapped down so abruptly or with such a stern expression. An expression that he couldn't quite place, but felt like he'd actually seen somewhere before today. Dean frowned at the thought and almost didn't hear what she said next.

"I would have expected the FBI to be more professional." Turning, she called over her shoulder, "Have a wonderful time in the Windy City."

He watched her walk away, admiring her even as he cursed his luck. He'd struck out spectacularly. She turned another corner and he sighed, heading back toward the archive room. While it was frustrating and a bit of a blow to his ego, he couldn't help but think there was something very odd about the historian. Something he couldn't put his finger on, but something he felt in his gut. Something about Dr. Econowhatsit was eerily familiar. It was as if he remembered her from somewhere.

_But how could I forget someone like her?_ He shook the thought off. She was gone and he had other things to pursue, so he was just going to have to let her be the one that got away. He shook his head in annoyance. Didn't matter how much more research Sam thought he needed to do, they were leaving.

It was time for Giordanos.

* * *

Casey Economo tossed her briefcase into the back seat. Sliding behind the wheel of her '65 Mustang, she pulled her Louboutin's off and threw them in the back seat with the briefcase. She would suffer through the first part of the drive to Florida in her flashy duds, but she wasn't driving in those heels. She'd change into her jeans when she stopped for gas. Right now, she wanted to put as much distance between her and Chicago as she could. Knowing she should have left yesterday made her grit her teeth as she tried to make her way through near standstill traffic.

Of course, if she was stuck in traffic, the Winchesters would be too. And she had at least a small head start on them. It all depended on how long Sam was going to decide to sift through the archives. From what she knew of them, Dean was going to be pushing to get on the road and into the action, so her head start was not as good as she would have liked it to have been.

She turned up the local classic rock station and mentally ran the numbers. About fourteen hours. A long drive but she'd driven longer. Again, it would have been better if she had left yesterday. But when she'd received the call from the "FBI" yesterday, she'd known she needed to meet with these particular agents. It didn't take a genius to figure out it was the Winchesters. Casey had hoped to meet up with them for a few years now, and this had been the perfect opportunity to size them up without them knowing about it.

She'd been able to assess them and they didn't even have a clue who she was. And how would they? Smiling, Casey tapped her finger on the steering wheel. The best thing was how little they knew about what they were actually getting into. It was a good feeling when you were the one holding all the cards.

Her smile faded as she realized that she held all the cards except for one. One very important ace. The plague maiden. Casey had been surprised when she'd seen the girl with the Winchesters. That was something that she had not expected at all. She and Crowley had been expecting the plague maiden to show up at some point, but the fact that she'd arrived with the Winchesters was_ not_ what they'd envisioned. And Casey really wasn't sure the boys even knew what they had on their hands.

Reaching the highway, Casey glanced at the clock. She would reach Pensacola in the ungodly hours of the morning and there was no way she was stopping for the night. Stops for gas and caffeine would have to suffice. Maybe a quick cat nap at some point, Casey decided, deftly squeezed between a minivan and a truck; one step closer to an open lane. She'd never needed very much sleep in order to function. Her extraordinary endurance had made her the envy of her fellow grad students. While they binged on energy drinks, Casey had never blinked an eye at being up for close to 36 hours at a time. Made it so much easier to get through her doctoral work. Also made long road trips a breeze.

She needed to do her investigating before the Winchesters arrived. Casey was banking on them taking a pit stop for the night. It didn't give her very much time, but she was going to make every second count.

* * *

**Field Museum Archive**  
**Chicago, IL  
Tuesday**

Dean had been planning exactly what he wanted on his pizza as he walked back to the archive, but the minute he rounded the door, he forgot all about lunch. He crossed the room in half of a heartbeat. "Sammy!"

Sam was on his knees by the window, both hands to his head. The room was otherwise empty and the passing thought of where in the world Bennett had disappeared to ran through Dean's mind. He reached out a hand to Sam's shoulder. "Hey, hey what happened?"

"Dean." Sam moved his hands, slid back till he was sitting against the wall and looked up.

"What happened?" Dean repeated, seeing that familiar pained look on Sam's face. The look he'd worn so often all those years ago when he'd been having psychic visions.  
Sam looked past Dean, searching the room. "Where's Bennett?"

"I have no idea. _What happened_?" Dean repeated for the third time.

"You know that psychotic break we've been expecting…" Sam said, leaning his head against the wall.

"She came unglued?"

"A bit. Seems she saw me take Bobby."

"Out of hell?" Dean raised his eyebrows, "For real? She was there when you got Bobby out?"

"And not very happy I took Bobby. Kept saying he'd been protecting her; that they'd been protecting each other."

Dean glanced around the room again, "Ok. Well, I didn't see her in the hall. How long ago did she disappear and what's wrong with you?"

Sam glanced at his watch. "She's only been gone for a few minutes." The headache was fading and he let Dean pull him to his feet. He said, "She started talking about Bobby and said she knew me. She was pretty upset and I just got this headache. I don't know. It just hit me. Then she seemed fine, you know, spaced out like she's been? And she walked out of the room."

"Weird." Dean said, making sure Sam looked steady on his feet. "Alright. You pack the paperwork and meet me at the car. I'm gonna go look for her."

Sam nodded as Dean hurried out of the room.

* * *

Where would a confused, upset girl who recently escaped hell go? Had she run out on them? Dean hesitated in the hallway, remembering Jody's warning that Bennett was scared. There was an entire museum ahead of him and he had no idea where she would go. A closet? A small space where she could hide? Or was she afraid of small spaces? Shaking his head, he headed downstairs because there were a few people milling around. Maybe someone had seen her. Sure enough; a quick chat with an intern sent him heading for the front door. He buttoned up his overcoat against the appalling Chicago wintry mix.

Glancing to the right and left, he couldn't quite believe that he'd actually found Bennett so easily. He frowned. Maybe she hadn't been trying to run away from them. There was just far too much they didn't understand about the girl to be able to even attempt to predict her actions. He found her standing against a column, looking underdressed for the weather in her skirt and tights. Her scarf provided some protection, but she didn't even have the coat done up. Dean shook his head and wished he had gloves. _How is she not freezing?_

"Hey!" He called out, walking over to her. She looked at him and half-smiled, then lifted a cigarette to her lips. Dean's eyes widened and he did a double take. He had not expected that at all. When had she even had the opportunity to get ahold of cigarettes? Stopping beside her, he asked, "What are you doing?"

"They don't seem to let people smoke inside anymore." She answered simply.

Dean stopped next to her and studied her. Bennett looked anything but crazy. That faraway look wasn't even in her eyes right now. She did, however, have dark smudges under her eyes and seemed even paler than normal. It hadn't been that long since he'd seen her last, but compared to earlier, she was looking exhausted, or sick. Hoping she wasn't sick, he asked, "What happened in there?"

"They kicked me out when I tried to light up inside."

Shaking his head, Dean turned so his back was to the wind. He said, "What about before that. With Sam."

Bennett blew out a breath of smoke into the frosty air. She tilted her head, her hair barely brushing her shoulders as it blew every direction in the wind. Her dark eyes focused on him and she said, "I let it slip. I'm sorry. I don't know what happened to him, but I kind of lost it for a moment."

Dean folded his arms across his chest, tucking his hands in as best as he could. How can she possibly not be cold? He asked, "You let what slip?"

This time he saw a faint tremor in her hand as she casually lifted her cigarette to her lips. Bennett looked at the ground, then back up at him, with her head still lowered and blew a puff of smoke. She said, "I guess I didn't quite know how to tell you. My head's been a mess since I woke up."

"Yeah, I don't blame you." Dean said and he didn't. He could remember vividly the disorientation and abject confusion he had felt when he'd dug his way out of the dirt. "Bennett, do you know what happened to you?"

She studied him for a long moment, head still tipped down, hair in her face. "I don't want to remember."

They could work with that, Dean thought. She was in denial. Wanted to forget. But if she could open up a little so they really knew where she was mentally, it would be a huge help. He nodded, "I know. I really do."

"How do you know what I'm talking about?" Bennett's voice took on a challenging edge. "I haven't even told you yet."

Dean felt the knot in his stomach tighten. Looking away from her, he considered his options. Tell her that he did know what she didn't want to remember because he didn't want to remember the same thing. Get her to open up so they might be able to get somewhere, or try to skirt the issue so he didn't have to talk about it. He felt sudden heat wash over him, pain course through his body and he could almost hear those screams again...

"Bobby told me about you." Her voice drew him back to the present. "He liked talking about you and your brother. I sort of feel like I've known you forever."

Dean wondered what exactly Bobby had told her.

She went on, "You know Bobby was in hell, right?"

"Yes."

"Sam got him out." Bennett said it like a statement, but her sad eyes begged for reassurance.

"He did." Dean said firmly.

Bennett nodded slowly. She said, "I'd really like to hear more about all of that. But not now. I can't talk about it. " She dropped the cigarette and shifted her purse. She looked up at him, face reddened from the cold, fear-filled eyes bright with tears. "I can't talk about it anymore, ok?"

"Yeah, sure." Dean nodded, touching her shoulder. "It's ok, Bennett. Come on, Sam's waiting at the car."

He led the way across the parking lot, hating the cold and looking forward to Florida. Bennett followed silently at his side. Dean glanced at her again. She still didn't seem like she was feeling the cold. He asked, "How are you not freezing?"

She didn't smile. She just said, "For the past 16 years, I've been someplace incredibly hot. I don't think the cold will ever bother me again."

Dean tried not to imagine 16 years of hell. He didn't have a response so he just nodded, gritting his teeth, and led the way to the car. Sam was already there.

"Hey." Sam called out. "You guys ok?"

"Yeah, we're good." Dean muttered, feeling anything but good. He headed for the drivers side. "You?"

Sam nodded, "I'm ok."

"Lets get out of here." Dean said, slamming the door. Chicago had ceased to be fun and he didn't even care about Giordano's anymore. They were hitting a fast food joint then not stopping till they ran out of gas.

* * *

**Somewhere in northern Alabama**  
**Wednesday, 0245**

It was the eyes. Definitely his eyes, Casey decided as she stretched her legs. For hours now, she'd been racking her brains trying to figure out why Dean Winchester seemed so familiar. She'd heard of the Winchesters years ago; who hadn't? But she'd never met them before. The gas pump clicked and she pulled the nozzle from her gas tank and stared across the road at the flickering lights of another gas station. Something about his eyes. They were an intriguing green, clear and deep as an ocean. _The kind you could drown in and be perfectly happy to die._

Shaking her head, Casey snickered at her sappy thoughts. He had been twenty kinds of adorable trying to impress her and ask her out to dinner. And the way he'd stumbled over her name...repeatedly. She frowned at the memory. Stumbling, fumbling, making things up… Even _that_ seemed familiar. She couldn't help but be drawn to him somehow. There was something about him that just made her feel… well, it made her feel like she could trust him. The thought sent shivers down her spine.

_Never again._ Casey tore her receipt from the machine and got behind the wheel. Slamming the door, she started up the engine and tore out onto the road. Her mood soured as her mind returned to the day she'd decided she'd never trust another guy again.

Especially not one like Dean Winchester.

* * *

**Motel **  
**Somewhere in southern Alabama **  
**Wednesday, 0539**

_"And I'm telling you it won't work."_

_He wanted to wring her neck. Again. Like he'd started to do when she'd first come out of nowhere and jumped him all those days ago. Before Cas had dragged him off her and told him what she was._

_Before he'd fallen in love with her._

_He stared at her as she glared back at him. She wasn't backing down. Not surprising. He said, "Look, Echo, I know you're very sure of yourself and all…"_

_"You don't trust me?" She challenged._

_"Of course I do…"_

_"Of course you do, _but_…" She said, "There's a but coming; I heard it in your voice, Deano."_

_He nodded, "But I think maybe you don't quite get the concept of working as a team." He knew he was right and her downcast eyes told him she knew he was right too. He touched her cheek and said, "We're in this together. The three of us."_

_Cas was a few feet away and only rolled his eyes and walked even further away. Dean grinned and looked back down at her. She met his eyes with a slight smile. He leaned down for a kiss._

Dean woke up just before the good part. Disoriented and confused by the dream, he blinked up at the mildew on the ceiling and tried to unravel his conflicted thoughts. _Motel_. They'd pulled off just after midnight. Two nights of driving straight through was a bit much. Stretching out on a bed, or in his case, the couch, had sounded pretty good. Compared to sleeping in the car again, even the couch felt great.

He hadn't expected to actually be able to fall asleep, but clearly he'd drifted off at some point. Drifted off to a troubled sleep filled with confusing dreams. Confusing dreams that he couldn't quite remember. They'd felt more like memories than anything else, but now that he was awake, he couldn't remember anything about them. Squinting at his watch, Dean saw that it was almost six in the morning. Yawning, he glanced over at the other side of the room.

Sam had an arm over his eyes and looked like he was still sleeping. But Bennett was sitting up on the edge of the other bed, her back to the room. She was leaning against the wall, head down. Dean frowned at her in the early morning light. Most of the trip from Chicago, she'd been silent. Nothing they'd tried had been able to draw her out for very long and once it had started getting dark, she had stretched out on the back seat and completely ignored their existence.

At first, Dean had assumed she'd been doing it simply to avoid having to answer any questions. But then he'd glanced in the rearview mirror at the right moment to see her staring out the side window, silent tears rolling down her cheeks. He hadn't commented. What could he have said to make her feel better? She'd closed her eyes and hadn't said a word the rest of the trip. Even when they'd arrived at the motel room, Bennett had simply headed for a bed. She'd pulled the covers up over her without even taking her coat off. It had been crystal clear that she hadn't wanted to talk to anyone so he'd just shrugged at Sam. Rock, paper, scissors later and he had crashed on the couch.

Pushing himself up, Dean rubbed a hand across his face. He'd slept, but with the weird dreams and the concern over the plague and Bennett, he hadn't slept as well as he would have liked. They still had a couple hours left to drive before reaching Pensacola. They were planning to split up and each take a hospital. Talk to the staff. Trace the victims. Interview the family. Typical routine. Usually, though, they didn't have an uninitiated civilian with them on their jobs.

He looked back over at Bennett. Considering she'd been to hell, he decided she didn't really count as uninitiated. Taking a deep breath, Dean tried to think up something to say to her that wouldn't make her cry or have a nervous breakdown.

"How was the trip to hell" didn't seem to be a great opener.

He'd liked it better at the beginning when she'd seemed like she was handling everything well and had been cute and pleasant and not looking like she was slowly unravelling. Dean was still thinking when Bennett rose from the bed and started crossing the room. She paused when she saw he was awake, a hand going out to the table to keep her from falling over. He wondered if she'd actually slept at all. Given the bleary red-rimmed eyes, he doubted it.

"Morning." He said softly.

She held up a cigarette and pointed at the door. He nodded and she hurried outside. Pulling the door shut behind her, Bennett looked up in surprise when he put out a hand to keep her from slamming it in his face. She backed away, then darted to a nearby picnic table. Dean closed the door behind him and pulled on the jacket he'd snagged on the way out the door. Seemed like she wanted to be alone. Tough.

Dean walked over to the picnic table and sat down next to her. She scooted away and shot him a glare through narrowed eyes. She asked in a more sassy tone than he had been expecting, "Can I help you with something?"

"I don't know. Can you?" He matched her tone.

"Depends on what you want." Bennett looked away, holding up her pack of cigarettes. "You want a smoke?"

"I'll pass. I enjoy being able to breathe."

"Then I guess I can't help you since a pack of cigarettes is about all I have to my name right now." She lit one and scooted even farther from him.

Dean wanted to ask how on earth she'd even gotten her hands on the cigarettes; he guessed Jody had given her some cash. But that was all beside the point. She hadn't slept. She was falling apart and he had no idea what was going on or how to help her. He said, "Look, I don't know you, you don't know me. But like it or not we are stuck together for the time being. So I think it's time for the 'house rules'."

"And those would be?" Her posture and tone screamed irritation.

Suddenly struck by the realization that she'd been only a teenager when she'd somehow ended up in hell, Dean was at a complete loss for how to deal with her. Teenage attitude and rebellion in your younger brother was solved with a brawl. But he didn't think he could handle Bennett the same way he had Sam.

He said, "Rule number one, no smoking in my baby. Rule number two, honesty is the best whatever. We need to know what you know if we're going to help you, Bennett."

Bennett looked up at him, a little of the anger gone out of her eyes. "I already told you everything that I remember. I don't know what you want from me."

"Did you? Because I don't think you've told us everything."

"And you have told me all there is to know about you?" She challenged.

Dean grinned at her, "I'm an open book sweetheart. What do you want to know?"

"Why don't you sleep well at night?"

_Dang. Why'd she have to go there?_ He shook his head, "What are you talking about? I sleep fine."

"Thats not what I heard last night. And you had a nightmare or something the night before, too." Bennett seemed to be gaining confidence knowing she'd cornered him. "I feel like rule number two is more of a guideline."

"Well, rule one_ isn't._" He stressed, wishing he hadn't opened the door up wide for her. "Anyway, in this case we really need to know, Bennett."

"You first." She said, lifting her cigarette to her lips.

She looked scared again. She wasn't as angry as she was just trying hard not to have to face her fears, he realized. Dean said, "Look, I'm probably the only person on the planet that knows exactly what you're going through. I know so well that I don't always sleep well at night. Satisfied?"

Bennett's eyes widened slightly. It wasn't pity he saw in them, but a shared pain. She asked, "You...you were there too?"

Dean looked away from her. He didn't want to talk about it. Didn't want to talk about it any more than she did and here he was trying to get _her_ to open up. He stared out across the parking lot as the early morning sky began to lighten. Taking a deep breath, he simply nodded.

"So how did you get out?" Bennett asked.

"It doesn't matter." He was far too irritated to even begin to talk about Cas. "What matters is that I know what you're going through." He tapped her shoulder, "Your turn."

"I don't think I've slept at all since I woke up in that cemetery." Bennett confessed softly. "I'm afraid to close my eyes. Everything's confusing and mixed up, but I do remember some stuff. And I wish I didn't. I can't remember anything...from before. But I remember being _there."_ She shivered, "I remember stuff that happened before I met Bobby."

"Nothing about the black plague or anything?" Dean asked, trying to refocus her attention away from the horror of it all.

She shook her head. "I really don't know anything about it. I wish I could tell you something that would help. All I remember is stuff I wish I didn't."

Dean knew that feeling all too well. He said, "Well kid, I'm not gonna lie to you. It won't just go away. The things you saw, the things you did," he had to take a long breath before going on. "it will stay with you forever. But that's why we do what do."

"And what is it that you do?"

"Save people, hunt things." Dean said the words and felt like it had been a very long time since anything had been that simple. "We do what we can when we can. We don't always win; we lose people. People we love, but we keep going for them. So yeah, crap happened to you. But now you have the chance to make it worth something."

Bennett looked at him doubtfully.

"Trust me. It'll get better." He stood up and tried to think of something else that might get that morose look off her face. "You wanna know what helps?"

"What?"

"Doughnuts. Doughnuts make everything better." Dean said seriously; as if doughnuts were the obvious solution to every problem.

"Are they good?" She tilted her head.

"Right." He snapped his fingers, "You don't remember. Come on, let's go wake up Sam and get some grub!" Dean said with a mischievous smile. He started back towards the motel and called over his shoulder, "You coming? Waking up Sammy is the best part of my day."

* * *

**_Would love to hear from you! Let us know what you think if you can spare a moment. Hope you are enjoying the developing mystery... Much, much more to come this week! _**


	6. Chapter 6

**Wednesday, 0845 **  
**Sacred Heart Hospital **  
**Pensacola, FL**

Sam pulled off the face mask as the doctor closed the isolation room door behind them. Part of him wanted to leave the mask on and wear gloves forever. The patient he had just seen rivaled some of the most monstrous ghouls he'd ever encountered. _And the ghouls aren't usually contagious,_ he thought to himself. There was nothing nice about the Black Death. He followed Dr. Reynolds down the hallway back to the nurses station. Dr. Reynolds had been showing him around the unit for the past forty-five minutes, explaining the progression of the disease and the prognosis for the patients. He also admitted that they had no idea how it was being transmitted. Sam fought back the urge to hurl his breakfast at the foul smell of disease. Every patient on this unit was ill with the plague and the smell of rotting flesh leaked past the closed doors.

They reached the station and Dr. Reynolds handed him a folder. "Here's everything." He looked as weary as he sounded. "I had our secretary gather everything you asked for and compile it for you. I guess I still don't know what the FBI is doing investigating the plague, but hey, who am I to question the United States government? What's good enough for the CDC should be good enough for the FBI."

"CDC?" Sam asked.

"There was a CDC agent here earlier this morning." Dr. Reynolds ran a hand through his closely cropped hair. "Really early, actually. One of those shiny badges that all you important people flash. Asked a lot of the same questions, wanted the same info. Weird because folks from Atlanta have been crawling around here for the past three days." He shrugged, "I guess the government isn't the greatest at communication. Please excuse me, I really need to get back to my patients."

"Of course." Sam nodded and watched the doctor pull a mask on and head into another room. He respected medical personnel for their work with the sick and injured, but he had to admit Dr. Reynolds deserved a medal for working with such dreadfully ill and disfigured patients. Looking around the unit, he just wanted to get out of the hospital as soon as possible, but he turned back to the unit secretary. "Excuse me, Dr. Reynolds said someone from the CDC had been here earlier. You wouldn't happen to remember who was here, would you?"

The girl looked no less harried than Dr. Reynolds had, but she nodded and reached for a business card. "Here. If you want to write down the number or something."

"Thanks." Sam grabbed a scrap of paper and scribbled down the number and name on the card. Alice Winters, epidemiologist. He handed the card back to the secretary and her attention was immediately back on her computer screen. Sam put the note in his pocket, grabbed the folder and headed for the stairs.

* * *

**0900 **  
**Graveyard **  
**Milton, FL**

Casey Economou lit a match and, without wasting a second, tossed it into the grave. Doing a grave job in broad daylight was not ideal, but the little country graveyard was secluded and out of the way, so she felt confident no one was going to notice. Times like these, she realized how completely insane her life had become. Once upon a time...no, she shook her head. Even once upon a time her life hadn't been normal. She fingered the frayed edge of one of the holes in her jeans, watching the flames. Maybe life had become more insane as of late, but upon reflection, she knew that she'd never lived a normal life.

Looking across the empty cemetery, Casey considered her next move. She had already hit the local hospitals before dawn. Night shift always tended to be more laid back about visits from official-looking people. Who were they going to call at four in the morning, anyway? They had given her everything she had asked for and then some. A productive morning all in all. But there was still more to accomplish.

Always so much to do, so little time. And she needed to deal with it before the Winchesters got involved. This little flame-out had been an unfortunate side trip, but necessary. Sometimes knowing supernatural secrets tended to interrupt your plans in a big way. But at least now the elevator at West Florida Hospital wouldn't be haunted by a vengeful spirit anymore. If she'd only taken the stairs, she wouldn't have run afoul of the poor soul who'd bit the dust about fifteen years ago halfway up to the unit. She'd killed a couple hours investigating the spirit and hunting for his grave. She wasn't meeting with Mrs. Vickering, the mother of the first plague victim, until 0930, thirty minutes from now, so she'd had plenty of time to stop by the grave to take care of the ghost.

The only question now was how far behind her the Winchesters were. Because she didn't doubt they were following the same leads she was. Her phone ringing drew her attention away from the burning bones. It wasn't her personal cell, either. It was her burner. The CDC alias. She cleared her throat and walked a few yards away from the crackling grave.

"Alice Winters." Casey answered.

"Hi, yes, Dr. Winters."

Casey straightened, the voice was terribly familiar.

"This is Sam Kath with the FBI."

_And there it was_, Casey rolled her eyes. She shouldn't have been surprised. "FBI? What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if we could get together to discuss the plague situation in Pensacola. I'm here investigating the outbreak and got your number from one of the doctors at Sacred Heart Hospital."

Casey smiled. So they'd been to the hospital. She wondered if they'd already been to West Florida. Well, she certainly wasn't planning on teaming up with them anytime soon. She said, "I'm intrigued that the FBI is interested in a communicable disease outbreak; even one of this scale."

"It concerns national security."

"I see. I've already left the area to follow up on other leads. I'm sorry I won't be able to help you."

"There's no chance we could…"

"You can certainly feel free to contact the main office of the CDC for the public health announcements. I'm afraid that's all I can really do to help you." Casey picked up her shovel. "Have a good day."

She snapped her phone closed before Sam had the chance to say anything else. Hopefully the WInchesters would stay busy at the hospitals for awhile. Of course, they were going to find out who the first victim had been and make a beeline for Milton just like she was doing. Casey checked her watch, then glanced back down at the burning bones. As soon as this was done, she'd hit the road again. Her next stop should prove interesting. It wasn't often that you got to take care of a ghost problem on your way to deal with what was most likely a demon problem.

* * *

**0900 **  
**West Florida Hospital**  
**Pensacola, FL**

"What the…"

Dean stood against the back of the elevator, staring at the spot the spirit had so recently occupied. The ghost had been an older man and he had not been a happy dude. The lights had flickered and the elevator had shaken disconcertingly as the ghost had come at him just a split second earlier. Dean had barely seen the spirit before it had flamed out in front of his eyes. He pushed himself off the wall as the door opened to a quiet hallway.

"Ok, that was weird." He stepped out, glancing back in the elevator. That spirit hadn't just decided to disappear. It had been salted and burned. Dean pulled out his phone. It seemed unlikely that Sam had found time to gank a ghost, but he hit speed dial to check anyway.

* * *

**0910  
****Sacred Heart Hospital  
****Pensacola, FL**

Sam hung up his phone after his unsuccessful conversation with the epidemiologist. She hadn't seemed interested in interagency cooperation at all. Even with a monstrous disease running rampant, the government still couldn't find it in itself to cooperate. Shaking his head, he tried to push the image of the plague victim away as he headed back toward the cafeteria. He wondered if the doctor Dean had been meeting with at the other hospital had included a patient visit on the tour. Walking past the customary Starbucks, he saw the solarium of the cafeteria. There weren't too many people in the cafe right now and Bennett had secluded herself at the most remote table in the farthest corner.

She'd perked up a little when they'd grabbed doughnuts for breakfast; a welcome change from her melancholy silence for most of the previous day. She hadn't said much on the short trip to Pensacola, but she also hadn't been pretending to sleep the entire trip. Dean had briefly told him about his conversation with Bennett before breakfast. Sam hadn't been surprised. Ever since the archive when she'd realized he'd taken Bobby, she'd acted differently. Like the ground had fallen out beneath her feet. Again. At least this morning she'd been talking to them and even cracked a smile now and then at some of Dean's lame attempts at humor.

They'd discussed letting her sit in the car while they went into the hospitals, but she'd balked at that idea; eyes widening in fear at the thought of being left alone. So Bennett had come inside with him. Once in the door though, it was as if her courage had faded and he'd practically had to drag her down the hall. Dean had already left with the Impala for the other hospital, so there wasn't anything he could do but settle her in a corner of the cafe while he went up to the unit. She'd been too terrified to go upstairs with him, hadn't wanted him to leave her, but there had been no other options. Sam had closed her hand around the cheap pay as you go phone they'd picked up for her and told her to call him if she needed anything. He had to do the investigation, though, even though he hated to leave her.

Now, even though the sunshine brightened the area, as soon as he walked into the solarium, Sam felt a dark heaviness assault him. His head started to pound. Something wasn't right. Everything looked peaceful, but something was very wrong.

For instance, the lake that seemed to be taking up all of the far side of the room.

Even as he tried to assimilate the image of a shimmering blue lake with the cafeteria around him, Sam felt another jagged spike of pain in his skull. Gasping, he squeezed his eyes closed and put a hand out to the wall so he didn't fall over. What in the world was going on? He steadied himself for a moment, then made his way across what looked freakishly like a sandy shoreline. Surreal didn't even begin to cover it. No one else in the area seemed to even notice the peaceful lakefront view. His phone rang, but he ignored it. Dean would just have to wait a moment.

Bennett glanced up at him as he walked closer. Her face pale, eyes wide and breathing rapid, she looked about as scared as he'd ever seen her. The amount of blood on her face was no less concerning. Blood streamed from her nose, dripping off her chin into a growing pool on the table in front of her. She didn't seem to even notice the mess.

"Bennett?" Sam knelt next to her, his hand on her shoulder, still fighting against the pain in his head. She held the cell phone between her hands in a death grip.

"Isn't it a pretty day?" Bennett said slowly. Her words sounded forced, like she was saying something she'd learned by heart years ago and was just repeating because it was what she thought she was supposed to say. She was shaking as she met his eyes and said, "Look at the lake. This is the lake Bobby showed me."

Sam stared at her, realization hitting him. It wasn't a hallucination. It was something she was creating, controlling. He said, "You're doing this, Bennett. How are you doing this?"

A tear ran down her cheek. "I have to do this. I can't stop."

"Why? I don't understand." Sam tried to control his own breathing and fight back the nausea the headache was producing. "Why are you doing this?"

Bennett leaned forward and grabbed his arm, "They're here. They'll find me."

"Who?"

"The demons."

"Demons?" Sam straightened, looking around in concern. People were walking back and forth without seeming to even notice them. Everything appeared perfectly normal. No scent of sulphur, no black eyeballs staring at him. Nothing. It did seem odd that no one was looking at them at all, though. He turned back to Bennett. "I don't see any demons."

"I'm making it so they can't see us. So no one can see us." Bennett whispered in a broken voice, "They're here. Can we please go?"

"Dean's going to pick us up…"

"Now. Please, can we go now?" She pleaded, "Anywhere, just out of the hospital." Her eyes closed for a second and it took a lot of effort for her to open them again. She looked ready to pass out as she added, "I hate hospitals."

Sam wasn't sure either of them were up to moving at the moment, but she was so desperate that he nodded. He needed to do something. At the rate she was bleeding all over the place, he was going to be taking her to the ER if something didn't change. There was a door leading out to a little garden area. Close, quick.

He said, "Let's go outside that way and I'll call Dean."

Bennett nodded slowly and allowed him to pull her to her feet. He had to hold her up as she leaned against him, her head hanging. Together, they slowly made their way to the door. As they walked, the illusion of the lakefront scene moved with them. He'd never seen anything like it and, while the scene was nice, it felt strange. Sam rubbed his eyes with his free hand, trying to walk in a straight line. Everything seemed to be fluctuating, flickering. They made it out the door and halfway across the garden sitting area toward the curved front drive of the hospital before Bennett coughed and collapsed.

His reactions slowed by the splitting headache, Sam dropped the folder the doctor had given him and almost didn't catch Bennett in time to keep her from hitting the pavement. He recovered enough to ease her to the grass next to the pathway. A moment later, the image of the lake completely disappeared and his headache eased. Sucking in a deep breath of relief, Sam kept one hand under Bennett's head, while he checked her pulse. Fast but steady. The blood, vivid on her pale face, was still flowing slightly. Sam grabbed for his phone. He glanced around, expecting someone to be taking notice of their plight. But no one seemed to be looking at them at all. He felt Bennett stir and a fresh jolt of pain spiked through his head.

They were again on the shoreline of the beach.

* * *

Dean had just pulled out onto Davis Highway to return to Sacred Heart Hospital when his phone rang. He answered, "Hey, I'm on my way back to you. I hope you got more than I did because…"

"Dean."

Ok, he doesn't sound right. Dean let his sentence go unfinished and started pushing the speed limit. "Sam?"

"How far are you?"

"Coming as quick as I can. What's wrong?"

"Bennett."

Dean thought it sounded like more than just Bennett. He asked, "What's going on?"

"She passed out. She said there were demons...we're by the driveway. Just hurry."

"I'm hurrying. Are you ok?"

"Not exactly." Sam admitted, "Bad, bad headache."

"What is going on with you?" Dean asked, passing a pickup truck laden with furniture. "You haven't had headaches like this in years."

"I don't know. Just hurry."

"Sam?" Dean said, then realized his brother had hung up on him. Traffic was heavy and he didn't dare push the speed limit by much. Last thing he needed was to get stopped for speeding. Tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, Dean decided he didn't like this case very much at all.

* * *

Sam heard the Impala before he saw her.

Pulling Bennett to a sitting position, Sam reached out for the folder from the doctor. They'd been waiting for almost fifteen minutes now and, while his headache wasn't nearly as bad as earlier, it still was bothering him. The scene of the lake around them had eventually faded, but whatever Bennett was doing, it was still keeping them hidden from everyone. People walked past them without noticing anything.

"Bennett?" He said, "Time to go."

She nodded, but didn't attempt to move. Her nose had finally stopped bleeding and he'd managed to clean her up a little, but she still looked like a bloody ghost. He saw the Impala pull up at the driveway and picked her up when it was obvious she wasn't going to stay on her feet.

It wasn't that far to the Impala, but it felt like it was miles away. Thankfully, Dean had jumped out of the car and was already heading his way. Bennett must have realized he was coming, because, unlike the rest of the people walking around, Dean saw them and headed straight for them.

"Here." Dean said, reaching out and pulling Bennett from Sam's arms. He didn't need to have to pick them both up and Sam looked unsteady enough to make that a real possibility. Hoping Sam could make his way safely, Dean opened the back door and eased Bennett onto the back seat. She immediately curled up on her side. He made sure Sam arrived safely at the passenger side door, then hurried back around the car, loosening his tie as he did so.

He started the car and left the hospital parking lot, not entirely sure where he was going. Dean looked over at Sam who had his hands to his head. Frowning, he asked, "Sam? You ok?"

"Mostly."

"She said there were demons? Did you see them?"

"No. She was keeping us hidden from them somehow." Sam said, rummaging around in the glovebox for a pair of sunglasses. He added, "I think we should find a place to crash. At least for a little while."

Dean glanced at the back seat. "Probably a good idea. She doesn't look so good." He spoke up a bit louder, "Hey, you still with us back there?"

Bennett nodded without opening her eyes.

"Whatever's going on, it's taking a lot out of her." Sam said, "It's like she's making illusions or something. There was this image of a lake, all around, but I could still see some of the cafeteria. I don't know how, but she's making things appear."

"So what, she's some kind of…"

"Psychic." Sam nodded. "Remember Andy and his brother?"

"Dude who stole my car?"

"You gave it to him, remember?" Sam smiled slightly, remembering Dean's irritation at having given his beloved car away.

"Ok, yeah, so Bennett does that mind trick too?" Dean asked softly, not sure he liked where this was going. "What, she makes people see things? I didn't see any lake."

Sam shrugged, "No one around us seemed to see anything funny either, but they weren't paying any attention to us."

"So you saw the lake?"

"Yeah."

"And you got a major headache at the same time?" Dean shook his head, "This is not a coincidence, man. You used to get visions and stuff when you were around…"

"Other people like me." Sam finished his sentence. "I know. Jody estimated Bennett's in her early thirties; what if she's one of the psychic children, Dean?"

Dean looked in the rearview mirror at the girl, then over at Sam. "It's possible."

Sam huffed out a laugh, "I'd say it's more than possible. It makes sense."

"Well, if it's true, she needs to learn to keep her little gift to herself." Dean frowned, "She needs to leave you alone; you're no good to me if you're having migraines every five minutes."

"Two. Two headaches over the course of two days, Dean." Sam rolled his eyes, "And both times it happened whens she was really upset. She doesn't seem to be able to control it all the time."

"That's what worries me."

"Whatever. Look, she said there were demons around."

"You see anything?"

"No, but I believe her. I think somehow, whatever she does, it keeps her hidden. She said she had to keep doing it, that she couldn't stop."

Dean headed for the highway. "Great. I've got a lead on the first vic and I think I'd rather find a place out of town to hole up rather than stick around here if she's right."

"Works for me."

As he headed east on I-10, Dean remembered his experience in the elevator at the hospital. "Hey, you didn't happen to find time to do a salt and burn in between interviewing the hospital staff and tripping out with Bennett, did you?"

Sam shifted in his seat, staring at his brother incredulously. "What?"

Dean shrugged, "There was a ghost in the elevator at West Florida."

"What?" Sam repeated, eyes wide. "What happened?"  
"Old coot came at me but burst into flames and was gone before I had time to even think where's the salt." Dean frowned, staring at the road ahead, "It was weird, man."

Sam agreed, "So there's another hunter in the area?"

"I guess. I've got no other explanation."

"Huh." Sam leaned back against the seat, considering, "Well, if we ever find out who it was…"

"I'm buying him a beer." Dean grinned, "Dude saved my life!"

* * *

**1030  
****Motel  
****Pace, FL**

"I don't remember a time when I didn't do it." Bennett said softly. She was settled back against a pile of pillows with a cold washcloth pressed to her head. "It's part of me. I don't even think about it."

They'd found an out of the way, mom and pop kind of a motel in Pace, a city near the first victim's hometown. After a bit of first aid, Bennett was looking a little less like a train wreck. Dean tossed the last bloody washcloth into the sink and turned around, leaning back against the counter. He asked, "And right now? You're seeing something else right now?"

She nodded, her voice resigned, "I always see something else. I don't know how not to. I like the lake best." Bennett's smile was brief. "Bobby liked the lake."

"But it's not just you. You make other people see things, too." Dean said. "You could make Bobby see the lake?"

"Yes." Bennett sighed, "Bobby...he found me. He took care of me. He told me stories and I made him see the lake so he could be happy. We were safe and happy at the lake."

"How's that work?" Dean asked, feeling grateful that the girl had done something to help Bobby. And vice versa.

"I don't know. It's...just something I do. I can see things myself, but I can also help other people see..nice things."

"But you don't always pass out from it." Sam said, his headache finally having eased off. "What happened at the hospital?"

Bennett dropped the washcloth on the bed next to her and rubbed her fingers on her skirt. She said, "It's hard to do. But I can make it so no one can see me. And I can even help other people hide. It never used to hurt. But now, up here, it hurts to do that, to make other people see things. I can do it for myself all the time, but when I do it for other people, it takes more out of me."

"So that's what you were doing at the hospital? Hiding from the demons?" Sam asked.

"They're looking for me."

Dean tapped a finger against the counter and asked, "Why do you think they're after you?"

"Because I..." She shrugged, a confused expression on her face, "Because I got out? I figure that must have made them mad, right?"

"Probably." Dean nodded. "Do you, uh, do you remember how you got out?"

"I don't know. I really don't. I'd tell you if I did." She started to look a little panic stricken.

Sam said, "We believe you. It's ok."

Bennett didn't look particularly reassured. She asked, "How is it possible? How is it even possible to…" Her voice lowered to a whisper, "How can you get out of...there?"

Sam took a deep breath and Dean ran a hand over his face. He glanced at Sam, then said, "It's not exactly easy."

"Before, back at the bunker, you said an angel brought someone back." Bennett looked at Dean.

Dean nodded, "We know an angel can get people out."

Bennett looked uncertain. "Why would an angel get anyone out? Why get me out?"

"We don't know." Sam said, "But it probably has something to do with the plague."

"Speaking of which." Dean said, glancing at his watch. "I have the address of the first victim's family. It's in the next town over. Cora Street, Milton."

"Talk to the family?" Sam asked. He wanted to know more about Bennett's background, but he knew they also were in town to track down the source of the plague. "I guess that's the next logical step."

"It's at least a step." Dean shrugged. "Look, you two stay put. See if you can figure anything else out, look at that file you got from the doc and I'll talk to the mother."

Sam frowned, wanting to argue. He looked at Bennett, and changed his mind. She wasn't up to anything and they couldn't leave her. He did need to spend look over the information from the hospital. This plague situation was not a normal disease outbreak. And not normal was just their style. He looked back at Dean and nodded.

"Good." Dean said, glad Sam hadn't fought him on it. Neither Sam nor the girl looked like they were ready to get into any kind of a sticky situation. It was taking a chance, of course, leaving them at the motel. Heaven knew trouble had a way of finding them no matter what they tried to do to prevent it. But somehow Dean felt a bit more comfortable letting them recover before they potentially went into a dangerous situation.

He straightened his tie and said, "Alright. Sit tight. I'll call you when I'm done."

* * *

**1100  
F****irst Victim's House  
****Milton, FL**

"I'm very sorry for your loss." Dean repeated, wishing the woman hadn't started crying.

He couldn't exactly blame her, but he really hoped she would stop soon. At this rate he wasn't going to elicit any good information from Mrs. Vickering. All he had learned so far was that Mrs. Vickering's youngest son, just back from an overseas military assignment, had come down with what they thought was the flu. Of course, when the symptoms progressed to her beloved Patrick drowning in blood and covered in sores oozing black fluid, it had become painfully obvious that it wasn't the flu.

Dean handed her another tissue, then said, "Mrs. Vickering. Ma'am, you wouldn't happen to remember any details about where your son might have been before he got sick?"

She sniffed and wiped at the tears on her cheeks. She said, "That's what that pretty little scientist asked."

"Pretty little scientist?"

"She was from the ABC, no, that wasn't it. It was close to that, though." She looked frustrated, "All you governmental organizations have alphabet soup for names."

"Was it the CDC?" Dean supplied, remembering what Sam had said about the epidemiologist who had dismissed him out of hand. "Maybe Alice Winters?"

Mrs. Vickering nodded, "That was the girl. Such a pretty thing. She asked me the same questions. Why don't you all just get together so you don't have to ask the same questions?"

Dean smiled, "It would make our lives easier too, let me tell you. I apologize for the repetition. I know this has been a difficult time for you. But I do need to know whatever you told Alice Winters."

"I told her that Patrick liked to hang out with his friends at a bar. Down in the old part of town, near the waterfront. It's called Finleys. He spent most of his time there."

"So maybe that's where he got infected?"

She shrugged, "Who knows. The doctors told me that they couldn't find a connection between any of the people who got sick. My Patrick was the first to get sick, but they can't trace anything. None of the people have any connection."

Dean felt like he was losing ground, not gaining it. This was getting him nowhere. He said, "Patrick never told you when he started feeling sick? Never mentioned anything strange?"

"No." Her lips smoothed into a tight line. She shook her head and said, "I'd like you to go now. I've talked to too many people and not one of them can bring my son back."

The door slammed behind him. Dean stood on the front porch for a moment, marvelling at how terribly wrong that interview had just gone. It sucked to be the second man on the case. Whoever this Alice Winters was, she was starting to tick him off in a big way. Apparently she'd done a better job of playing on Mrs. Vickering's sympathies than he had.

Dean yanked at his tie, ready to be done with the suit for the day. He was halfway to the Impala when someone called out, "Hey."

He turned and saw a teenage girl hovering next to some trees in the side yard. She didn't move toward him, but waved him over. Dean shoved his tie in his pocket and joined her in the shade. "Hey."

"You're looking for whatever killed Pat, aren't you?" The girl asked. "Pat was my brother."

"Yes, I am. I'm sorry about Pat." Dean said, "Is there something you wanted to tell me?"

She nodded, "Mom doesn't know everything. Pat didn't tell her. He didn't do good after coming home. You know? Drinking and other stuff. We...we used to go to a club."

"What was the name of the club?"

"Strikeout." She looked down at the ground, "Pat had a friend who got him drugs. I was there with him that night."

"That night?" Dean frowned.

"The night...when it happened." The girl looked up at him, fear in her eyes. "You won't believe me."

Dean tried to look as supportive as possible. He gave her an encouraging smile, "I'm more open minded than most people."

She didn't look convinced and remained silent.

"Look," He tried again, "I'm here not because some government agency wants me to be here. I'm here because I think something strange is happening. Something strange like freaky strange. So anything you tell me, I'm gonna believe. Trust me on that. Like, for instance, if you told me something freaky like, oh I don't know, maybe you saw blue smoke or somebody's eyes changed colors, I'd believe it."

Her eyes widened and she sucked in a huge breath, then took a step closer, "That's it! Exactly. There was blue smoke. That night at the club. Some guy came up to us, not the guy Pat usually got his stuff from, some other guy. This guy, he looked like…" She shivered, "He looked like he was dead. Like pale, almost like his face was falling off or something. It was so gross. But he was talking to Pat and I saw that blue smoke you were talking about. I thought he was smoking something. It was just a little puff but it looked like Pat breathed it."

"Did you tell this to the lady who was here earlier talking to your mom?" Dean asked, finally feeling like he was getting somewhere.

She shook her head, "No. I wasn't here earlier."

_Good!_ Dean nodded. So he had a lead the CDC didn't have. Maybe he could keep Alice Winters from getting herself killed. He asked, "So your brother, after the puff of smoke. He got sick after that?"

"Not right away." She shrugged, eyes filling with tears. "He got sick and I thought I was going to die. I was more afraid of getting sick than I was for my brother."

Dean groaned inwardly as the girl began sobbing. Two women in the space of twenty minutes. She leaned against his chest and he sighed, awkwardly patting her on the back. He decided he needed to avoid women for the rest of the day. Last thing he needed was to make Bennett cry.


	7. Chapter 7

**Wednesday, 1100 **  
**Finley's Pub **  
**Pensacola, FL**

"He was a nice kid. Messed up, though." Tim Finley said, straightening the shot glasses on the counter. "I knew his dad for years. Pat followed his dad into the Army. He made it back. Made it back to... to die like that. Just not right."

Casey nodded, feeling for the guy. He wasn't a big burly type, but he looked like he knew what it meant to live a tough life. His eyes softened as he told her about Patrick Vickering, though. Looked like it broke his heart.

She said, "No, there's nothing right about it, Mr. Finley. I'm so sorry. Can you tell me any more about Pat's life? I've spoken with his mother and hospital staff. No one seems to be able to find a connection among the victims. No clear indication where they were infected. Would you happen to know anyone else who became ill?"

Finley shook his head. "I've read the papers, watched the news. I didn't know any of the rest of the people who got sick. None of my regulars came down with it, if that helps."

"Yes, thank you." Casey smiled, jotting down a few notes for appearances sake. So far he hadn't given her anything helpful. A first swell of panic rose in her gut. She didn't have anything else to go on. This bar was her only lead. "Anything else you can tell me about Patrick? Any other places he liked to hang out, any friends I could talk to?"

"There was one thing." Finley rubbed his hand on the edge of the bar, looking away, troubled. He finally looked back at her and said softly, "His momma didn't know, or if she did she liked to pretend she didn't."

"She didn't know what?"

"Pat was into drugs. Him and that baby sister of his, Junie. Not much I did ever seemed to help, and I'm not their pop or anything."

Casey leaned forward, an encouraging smile on her face, "Mr. Finley, I know this is terribly difficult for you. I'm not here to get anyone in trouble or interfere. The CDC is just interested in stopping this disease from spreading. Anything you can tell me, anything about where Pat and Junie scored their drugs would be very helpful. It could lead me to the source of the outbreak."

Finley nodded, "I don't know exactly where. They went to clubs on the waterfront. Not the kind of clubs that advertise with neon signs, understand. The kind that are in warehouses or the back rooms of old buildings. The kind that don't always stay in the same place."

"Ok. Any name or location that you can think of?"

"Try South Palafox. I heard them talk about taking that street a few times." He shrugged. "You think he caught the disease, the plague, at a club?"

Casey slid off the bar stool. "We're following every lead we can. I appreciate your help, Mr. Finley."

He nodded sadly and turned back to his work. Casey flipped her notebook closed. She left the bar, ready to lose the formal suit and requisite black pumps. The rest of this trip she was doing in jeans and leather.

* * *

**Wednesday, 1130 **  
**Strikeout Club **  
**Pensacola, FL**

Dean was thankful Junie Vickering had managed to tell him the address of the Strikeout Club in between sobs. He would never have found it otherwise. This was the kind of club you simply didn't find unless you knew someone who knew someone. He drove past the seedy dump of a building. There was no way he would park the Impala around this area if he could possibly help it. Turning around, he drove a few blocks and found some legitimate businesses. Busy. Lots of people moving around. He pulled into a parking spot and dialed Sam's number.

Giving Sam a quick update, Dean walked back toward the ugly, crappy run-down apartment complex. Boarded up, no residents, the backrooms of the apartment complex now housed the seedy dive that was the Strikeout Club. There weren't any people on the street, which was just fine with him.

"Ok, well you guys stay put and I'll call you in an hour." Dean hung up and walked around the back of the building.

At first it looked like all the doors and windows were boarded up, but the second door he came to wasn't actually boarded up after all. It had a loosely attached board blocking the doorway, but the board moved easily when he tried it. Clearly, the place was made to look like it was completely abandoned. Better to keep unwanted eyes from prying into the club. He slipped inside, gun drawn and ready.

There was enough light filtering in through the cracks that he had no trouble seeing. He also had no trouble smelling. The room he had entered into was a kitchen. Or had been once a long time ago. Now it just stank and looked like a hundred rats called it home. Wrinkling his nose at the stench, Dean tried to avoid the biggest piles of excrement on the floor as he walked further into the apartment. Everything was silent. And, at least for now, it was the good kind of silent. The kind of silent that meant no one was home, not that some big baddie was hiding in the shadows.

Dean followed a hallway and checked the two doors along it. A bathroom and a bedroom that were both as disgusting as the kitchen had been. A toothbrush sat on the filthy bathroom counter next to an open toothpaste tube. He fought back the urge to gag; someone used that toothbrush. Shaking his head, he walked toward the front of the apartment and backed slowly around the staircase, keeping his gun aimed up as he walked around. No one popped out at him from above. The stairs looked like they were going to be creaky, so he took a deep breath and hoped that the place was truly and completely empty.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Dean lowered his gun slightly as he looked around in disbelief. The walls had been ripped down, apparently throughout the entire complex, which left a wide open area in the upstairs. Heavy, multicolored drapes hung askew on the walls, blocking out most of the sunlight. There were mirror balls on the ceiling and a heavy duty sound system against the wall. He could smell the drugs and cigarette smoke.

The area was completely devoid of life; even the rodent kind, for which he was grateful. Dean slid the gun under his jacket and chose one side of the room to start investigating first. The place seemed so disgusting and trashy, he wasn't sure what he expected to find. Junie hadn't been able to muster up a better description of the guy who apparently infected her brother with blue smoke. Just that he'd looked all pasty and gross.

So incredibly helpful.

Dean shook his head. He didn't expect to find the demon. Or whatever it was. It had been four days since Pat had been infected. Sam had been keeping track of all the outbreaks of the plague and it was evident the demon was on the move. But if they didn't have a starting place, some idea of what its goals were, there was no way they would be able to predict its next move. Dean shoved some papers with the toe of his boot. The floor was littered with food wrappers, magazines, and other assorted garbage.

He paused and leaned down. That looked like...he pulled out his flashlight to confirm. Yep. Sulphur. Dean clicked off the flashlight and rose. Well, in case there had been any lasting doubts about the situation, that seemed to confirm it. Demons were most definitely involved. Now, if only he could find something more helpful.

_Like a map of your next target_… Dean rolled his eyes. That would be too easy.

About hour later, Dean stood in the middle of the club, wishing he could take a shower. He'd combed every inch of the place and felt contaminated. The smell would probably never wash out. Grimacing, he turned to head back downstairs and get into the fresh air. Halfway to the stairs, though, he paused. Just the hint of a sound. He narrowed his eyes, listening. Downstairs. Dean pulled out his gun again and made his way as quietly as possible to the staircase. Pausing at the top, Dean glanced over the rail. Nothing he could see from there. About to head down the stairs, he felt a whisper of a breeze on his neck and spun around, gun raised.

A guy with some impressive dreadlocks stood inches from him, eyes completely black and a wide smile on his face. Before Dean could fire his gun, the demon put out his hand and Dean flew into the wall, then fell down the stairs. He felt every single step on his way down the staircase.

Except for the last one.

* * *

**Wednesday **  
**Motel **  
**Pace, FL**

Bennett was sitting on the curb in front of the motel room when Sam returned with lunch. Even though the Florida winter weather was extremely mild, there was still a chill in the air, but she didn't have her jacket or scarf on any longer. She had her knees drawn up, elbows resting on them, a cigarette in her hand. Sam joined her on the curb.

"How're you doing?" He asked, nudging her shoulder.

"Splendid." Bennett said, but her expression made it clear she felt the opposite of splendid. She took a drag on the cigarette, stubbed it out on the pavement and glanced up at him. "Bobby told me about this."

"About what?"

"This life. The hunting, the travelling. The eating crappy food."

Sam laughed and set the sodas and bag of fast food between them. "Yeah, the crappy food is definitely part of our lives. Greasy, crappy food." He looked across the street. "There's a Waffle House on every corner around here."

Bennett reached for the bag of food. "Bobby talked about you and Dean all the time. I think that's what, what helped him get through, you know? I tried to help him, then you got him out. I missed him."

"I'm sorry, Bennett. I had no idea." Sam said, staring at the ground, "It's a long story. We had to get him out."

"It's ok." Bennett looked at him hopefully. "But Bobby's safe now?"

Sam nodded, "He's in heaven."

"Good." Bennett unwrapped a burger.

"How long did you know Bobby?" He asked.

Bennett shrugged, "I don't know. Time is funny down there. I had trouble keeping track of it. You just kind of forget after a while."

"Yeah, I know." And he really did.

"You do?" She studied him curiously, "Were you the one the angel got out?"

"No, that was Dean, actually." Sam turned and leaned back against the side of the building. He met Bennett's questioning gaze. "It was a long time ago. Castiel is the angel who got him out."

The girl sipped at her soda, staring at him with a slight frown. She finally said, "You've been there too, though, haven't you? I can tell somehow."

Sam nodded slowly.

"Did Castiel get you out too?"

_Most of me._ Sam smiled slightly, "Yeah."

"So is that his job or something? Getting people out of hell?" Bennett tilted her head. "He got me out?"

"We don't know if he got you out. Cas isn't always the easiest guy to get a hold of. Maybe, but we don't know yet." Sam said, "And it's not really his job. It's just something he's done a couple times."

"He's your friend."

Sam nodded. "He is."

"But you're mad at him." Bennett said. "Something's wrong."

"Not mad at him, exactly. Like I said, he's hard to get a hold of." Sam shrugged, "I know he's busy, but sometimes he's always right there. And sometimes, when we really seem to need him… he's not."

For a few minutes, they ate silently. After a while, Bennett brushed her hair out of her eyes and said, "You know, I don't even really understand what we're doing here."

Sam laughed, "It's been a bit of a whirlwind for you, hasn't it?"

She smiled a little, looking more relaxed. "Considering I've only been...well, out of hell for a few days, it's been crazy. If Bobby hadn't told me about you guys, I would probably be a lot more of a mess, though. What's going on, for real?"

"Honestly, you know about everything we do." Sam explained. "An unprecedented outbreak of the Bubonic plague started the same evening you came up from hell. We're looking for the source. From everything we've been able to figure out so far, it seems like there's a demon behind it."

Bennett shivered and it had nothing to do with the chilly air. She said, "You know how to get rid of demons?"

"Yes. If we can find the demon responsible, we can try to stop it before more people die."

"But you still don't know why I'm here." She sobered, "You said the thing I saw on the gravestone, my gravestone, was about the plague."

"_Pestis Pestis_." Sam said, "Yes, it refers to a plague or pestilence."

"So I'm the plague?" Bennett almost dropped her hamburger. "I'm making everyone sick?"

"I don't think so." Sam said quickly, trying to dispel the panic in her eyes. "Jody was with you, and now we've been with you all along. I think we would have noticed if you'd started infecting people." He smiled. "I don't think you're causing it. You're connected somehow. I don't want to scare you, but I can't believe it's a coincidence. There is a connection and hopefully, when we find the source, we'll understand your part in all of this."

"Promise me something." Bennett shifted and grabbed his arm, "I don't want to hurt anyone. I'm scared that's what's going on; that someone wants to use me."

Sam couldn't argue with her; he'd been thinking the same thing. "I know. Look, we're going to do everything we can to keep you safe. You can hide yourself from the demons, right?"

"Yes."

"You can sense them?"

"Most of the time." She shrugged, "After being around them for all those years, you kind of develop a sixth sense or something."

Sam said, "Good, then let us know whenever you sense them, ok?"

Bennett nodded. She sighed and reached for her soda. "So. Tell me what I've missed in the past 16 years. I was 15 when I went under. I kinda missed out on a lot of stuff."

"So you've got some unresolved teenage angst you need to get out of your system?" Sam teased.

She lit another cigarette and said, "You have no idea."

* * *

**Wednesday afternoon **  
**S. Palafox Street **  
**Pensacola, FL**

Casey peered in the window of the black Impala, then finished circling the car. Crowley hadn't been lying; it _was_ a beautiful machine. She pushed her aviator sunglasses back down and stared up the street. If the Winchesters' car was parked here, where were they? It had been pure chance that she'd even seen the Impala. Trolling along South Palafox, looking for anything suspicious, she'd found nothing but a bunch of nasty dilapidated buildings close to the waterfront, and the legitimate businesses closer to town. The Impala was parked in the good district. She'd parked her Mustang across the street at a restaurant and had a bite to eat, watching to see if the Winchesters would return to their car.

Now, she was standing in the parking lot wondering where they were at. With a shrug, she headed toward the nasty district. If Dean Winchester had parked his Impala in an insurance company's parking lot, it might mean he hadn't wanted to park it elsewhere. And she had felt uncomfortable even driving her Mustang through the waterfront district. So she figured he'd done what she would have done; left a precious possession somewhere safe.

"Time to take a hike." Casey said to herself. She stayed on the sidewalk and followed it back to the homey little apartment complex mouldering under the Florida sunshine. There were some warehouses across the street and Casey took turns looking from one to the other.

The warehouses were her first choice. If she was going to be the prime developer of a new and exciting drug club, then she liked the looks of the warehouses. Nice large space for dancing, high ceiling with good acoustics for the thrumming dance tunes. She didn't see anyone around. Winchester or anyone else for that matter.

Casey rounded to the back of the warehouse and tried the first door she came to. It was unlocked. She slid her Sig out from her shoulder holster and opened the door. It creaked like a hundred old year old mans bones and she cringed at the sound. But no one came to attack her and she made it inside without issue. Some seagulls were stirred up by the noise and scattered to the top of the warehouse.

The warehouse looked like any other one she'd seen before in her travels. Scattered crates, broken pallets and other debris littered the floor. She kicked some tools aside and crossed the warehouse, headed for what looked like an office. It was the only room inside the warehouse, and the only piece of real estate that she couldn't see. Could be something interesting inside.

Twenty minutes of searching, she sighed. Nothing. Less than nothing. Casey stared out the grimy window. One pest-ridden apartment complex coming up next. She started to turn around to leave, when she caught sight of someone who looked suspiciously familiar walking up to the front door. She thought she'd been annoyed before with her lack of success searching the warehouse. Well, her annoyance level skyrocketed when she saw Dante enter the building.

"What in the bloody blue blazes?" Casey muttered, running back across the warehouse to the door. If Dante was prowling around, that just meant all kinds of nothing good.

She stowed her gun and ran across the street. Suddenly, she had a very interesting thought that maybe Dante was following a Winchester; just like she had been. Casey waited till she reached the door, then yanked the rubber band off her wrist and twisted her hair up out of the way and pulled out the Sig. Easing inside, Casey listened for a moment. There was creaking somewhere above and she automatically looked up. Refocusing, she took careful steps down a hallway to her right. The footsteps above seemed to be heading in the same direction.

Casey saw a staircase ahead and raised her gun in preparation to scope it out. Before she reached it, however, she heard something hitting a wall, followed by a body tumbling down the stairs. Frowning, her Sig readied, Casey ducked into a closet and peered out. The body that hit the floor not five feet from her was Dean Winchester.

She caught her breath and stepped out of the closet. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Dante had just thrown Dean down the stairs. Casey put away her Sig and knelt next to the man to check for a pulse. He was banged up and out for the count, but his heart was still pumping and his neck wasn't broken. Straightening up, Casey looked up the staircase and unleashed her full throttle glare on Dante.

"You want to tell me what the heck you think you're doing?" She shouted at Dante. He sauntered down the stairs, smiling widely.

"Casey, babe! Good to see ya."

"Don't call me that. What are you doing here, Dante? Did Crowley send you to check up on me?"

He raised his hands and sat down on the steps; his dreadlocks bobbing with the motion. "Whoa, babe. Chill out. Your uncle didn't send me. I'm on an independent contract."

Casey tapped her boot on the ground. "Don't lie to me."

"Not lying, babe." He grinned at her, his bright white teeth practically glowing. "Trust me, you shouldn't trust me."

"I don't. Why did you find it necessary to toss Dean Winchester down a flight of stairs?"

"He was going to shoot me, babe. Not cool. Not cool." Dante shook his head, and rose, "Just wanted to talk to the man."

Casey narrowed her eyes, "About what?"

Dante smirked at her, "Moment's gone. Catch ya later, babe."

And just like that, he was gone.

She groaned. Of all Crowley's henchmen, she hated Dante the most. There was something terribly disconcerting about having a demon hit on you. Ick, Casey cringed. She turned her attention back to the man on the floor. What to do, what to do? She could leave him where he was; he was starting to stir so she knew he wasn't going to die. Or she could just give it up and join forces. At least for the moment.

Dean thought he heard voices. A woman's voice; strangely familiar. And some Jamaican dude. Where was he? Drunk? Head hurt bad enough. But no, he shifted and pain shot through just about every part of him, not drunk. He forced his eyes open and blinked a few times, trying to bring the spinning room into focus. The Jamaican was gone, but he still could hear the woman. What was she saying, though?

"Hellooo."

He felt something nudge his knee and he could just make out a female form sitting on the stairs...the stairs he'd fallen down. No, not fallen. He'd been pushed. Dean tried to sit up, thought better of it and settled for a groan.

"Took a bit of a spill there, Deano."

_That voice._ Dean eased himself up onto his elbows. He was assaulted by that feeling of _deja vu_ again.

_"Deano, how many times have I told you that I'm perfectly capable of killing any ugly monster I come across."_

_"I know. I'm just saying, why not work with us? Why do you always gotta be so danged independent?" He'd asked, frowning at her._

_She just laughed, "You know you like me that way."_

_Dean had nodded, "True."_

Dean blinked, shaking his head at the odd memory. He focused on the woman on the steps. Her features finally coalesced into something resembling a human face. He said in disbelief, "You!"

"Me." She grinned.

Hair up in that messy bun, she'd traded her glamorous dress in for jeans and a leather jacket, but it was… His eyes widened, "You're that..that stuffy historian lady!"

She tilted her head in amusement, "Stuffy? I thought I was rather hot."

Dean shrugged, "Well, yeah." _Heck yeah!_ He shook his head and refocused, "What are you doing here, Echo?"

"Economou." She replied, face twitching in surprise at the nickname. "I'm doing my job."

"What kind of job is a Chicago historian doing in a joint like this?" Dean asked, sitting up and leaning against the wall.

"The same kind you are, Deano." Dr. Economou replied. "I'm looking for the plague demon."

* * *

**Hmm...curiouser and curiouser, as Alice would say. :) Things get a bit sticky in the next chapter... Hope you'll stick around! Let us know what you think! :) **


	8. Chapter 8

**Wednesday afternoon **  
**Motel **  
**Pace, FL**

"Hey, Jody." Sam answered his phone on the first ring. He'd been working through the files of information they'd received from the Pensacola hospitals, expecting a call from Dean when the Sheriff called.

"Sam, how's it going?" Jody asked.

Sam glanced out the window at Bennett, still sitting on the curb, smoking her fifth cigarette. "Oh, you know. It's going. We're in Pensacola. Dean's checking out a lead. I'm sifting through all the information we got from the hospitals today."

"And Bennett? How's she holding up?" Jody asked.

"She's had a rough day." He briefly explained their experience at the hospital. "We've been laying low since then."

Jody said, "That's probably not a bad idea. I haven't had much luck on my end, but I did find a few things out."

"Great. What've you got?"

"As far as I can tell, nobody's ever died of the plague in South Dakota." Jody continued, "Now, of course, we don't know that's what Bennett died of, but I thought it was a place to start. I'm still drawing a blank when it comes to the gravesite and the burial. Whoever paid for the plot and the gravestone did so through some rather sneaky methods."

Sam looked back outside at Bennett; it made him uncomfortable to have her sitting outside alone. But she'd refused to come inside with him after lunch. He kept an eye on her and said, "So whoever buried her didn't want to be identified. And didn't want her to be identified either. Why?"

Jody said, "I don't know." She laughed, "I think that question is the creepy, freaky side of the case. And that's your deal not mine. I just do the facts. I started digging into the records of people who died of the plague the year she was buried. Just in case. I mean, somehow it seems pretty clear that she's wrapped up tight with this whole plague mess, right?"

"I think so. I just don't know how or why." Sam tapped a pen on the edge of the table. "Did you find any vics from that year?"

"No. But there really aren't a lot of plague victims in the US these days, so I've started looking a few years before and after, including all 50 states, just in case. There has to be a connection somewhere." She sighed, "I'll keep looking. You boys be careful and stay in touch, ok?"

"Yeah, we will." Sam promised, watching Bennett stand up and toss the cigarette on the ground. He said, "Thanks Jody."

"No problem. Talk to you later."

Sam dropped the phone on the table in front of him as Bennett turned around and headed for the door. She had a hand to her face and, just as the headache exploded behind his eyes, Sam saw the blood running from her nose down her fingers and wrist. He opened the door, took her arm and pulled her inside, shocked at how cold her skin felt. The parking lot remained empty. No cars on the side road the motel was on, but he could hear the buzz of traffic on the main road.

"Bennett?" Sam closed the door and locked it, leaning against it for a second.

"They're out there." Bennett said breathlessly. She walked to the far side of the room and dropped down onto the bed; blood running down her arm. "We need to get out of here, Sam."

Sam didn't see anything outside the window, but his head was pounding and he knew that he wasn't at his best. This was getting very old. Since he wasn't in a place to disagree with her, he grabbed his laptop and shoved it and the files from the hospital into his case. They hadn't brought very much in with them, so there wasn't much to grab. He pulled on his coat and picked Bennett's coat and scarf off the other bed and tossed them next to her.

"Bennett, get your coat on, ok? We're leaving." He grabbed a washcloth from the bathroom as he dialed Dean's number. Turning around, he saw Bennett struggling into her coat and scarf. She wasn't paying any attention to the blood running down her face anymore. He handed her the washcloth and pulled her toward the door. "Did you see them?"

She shook her head, the cloth to her face as she tried to grab her purse with her free hand. Her voice was muffled when she spoke again. "I could feel them."

Sam hung up the phone because Dean wasn't answering. _Great._ Another thing to worry about. Because it was well past the time Dean had promised he would check in with Sam. Rubbing a hand across his face, Sam wished that whatever it was Bennett did with her psychic illusions wasn't causing him to have such a splitting headache. It didn't particularly make it easy for him to think. "Where were they?"

The girl wavered unsteadily by the door; there was no color to her face. She said vaguely, "I just could feel them coming. They were out there somewhere, nearby."

Sam looked out the window again, squinting against the painfully bright sunlight. "Maybe we should just stay put."

"No, we need to go. I can't hold them back, Sam." Bennett had tears in her eyes. "We need to get further away."

He believed her. She was still standing, but just barely. If everything she was telling them was true, then she only had limited power to control the illusions to protect herself. She was already bleeding. Last time, it hadn't taken very long for her to pass out. If the demons were nearby, and if, as they assumed, they were looking for her, then they were going to be in trouble very soon. And we have no car and Dean's not picking up his phone.

They were in trouble already.

* * *

**Wednesday afternoon **  
**S. Palafox Street **  
**P'cola, FL**

"You have got to be freaking kidding me." Dean shook his head and rubbed a hand across his face. The pounding had died down in his head, although everything still ached from his fall. He glared up at Dr. Economou. She was grinning at him. He asked, "Again, what are you doing here?"

"Like I said, I'm looking for the plague demon. Same as you and Sam."

Dean frowned, "What do you mean, plague demon?" He tried to play innocent, "I thought it was all just some kind of a rumor, a myth."

"Look," She leaned forward. "Let's just get past this whole thing where you pretend you don't know about the monsters that are out there in the world. Let's skip the awkward stuff, ok? I don't much like this, but it is what it is. We both happen to be hunting the same thing."

"Hunting." Dean repeated, his expression incredulous.

The historian shook her head again, "Getting past the awkward stuff, remember? Yes, suspend your disbelief, Dean Winchester. You boys aren't the only hunters out here in the great big world."

He wasn't sure what shocked him more. The fact that she knew who he was or the fact that she apparently was a hunter. Even as he tried to grasp what she was telling him, he had a sudden revelation. He asked, "You didn't happen to have ganked a ghost earlier today, did you?"

She grinned, "Old Henry, poor soul. Met him in the elevator at West Florida. May he rest in peace."

Dean groaned, "I owe you a beer."

"Really? How's that work?"

"Never mind. Wait." His eyes narrowed, "Are you Alice Winters, from the CDC?"

"In the flesh." She said, inspecting her fingernails.

"Look, Dr. Echomono," Dean tripped over the name yet again, "I don't think you…"

"It's Economou. Or Casey. Maybe you can actually pronounce that one." She smirked at him, "It's only two syllables; wouldn't want you to pull something."

"Look, Echo," Dean started again, ignoring her smart-alec attitude even though it was actually all kinds of sexy, "This is serious business. People who run a museum and lecture to bored college students shouldn't be messing with demons."

Casey Economou looked like she wanted to slap him. Her eyes narrowed and she said in an oddly dangerous tone, "First, don't call me that. And second, idiots who don't know who they're talking to should stop being so judgmental. I'll let it slide because we're still getting through the awkward stuff. I've been hunting since I was a teenager. I come from four generations of huntresses."

"Huntresses?"

"As in female hunters, Deano." She shook her head in irritation. "If you got your head out of your butt from time to time you might notice there are other people out there trying to make the world a better place." Casey stood up. "I think it's time we got out of this disgusting, smelly place. I assume you found nothing of importance."

Dean pushed himself to his feet. "Just one demon. Not the one I was looking for."

"Yeah, I'm actually sorry about that. Dante can be a major jerk."

"Excuse me? Dante?" Dean stared at her in shock. "As in you're on first name basis with a demon?"

Forward motion ceased as Dean grabbed her arm. Panic flashed in Casey's eyes at the contact. Ever since Jake… _No. Shut it down Casey,_ she thought to herself. Finding her voice, she asked, "Aren't you?" She wrenched herself from his grasp, eyes looking away. "Anyway, it's complicated. I've met him, yes."

"Ok, lady, you're making me uncomfortable here. Why do you know this demon by name?"

"Why do you ask so many personal questions?" she shot back. "Look, it's a long story." Casey pulled away and headed for the door. "And since I'm not even sure we've made it through the awkward phase, I don't think I owe you an explanation."

Dean followed her out, sliding his gun into his waistband. "Echo, we've only just started the awkward phase!"

"It's Economou. Seriously man, what's so hard about that?" She cast him a glare over her shoulder, "Eko-No-Mo."

"Whatever. Where exactly are you going anyway?"

"Back to my car. I searched the warehouse and came up with nothing. There's nothing left to look for here in Pensacola." Casey pulled her smartphone out of her jacket pocket and waved it at him. "I've got the CDC alerts on my phone and there's an outbreak in Wetumpka, Alabama. It's about three hours from here, just north of Montgomery. I have no idea how you carry out an investigation, but I follow the leads. This disease is tracking northward; apparently our demon friend is hitching his way north on I-65."

Dean chased after her as she practically jogged back in the direction where he'd left the Impala. "What do you even really know about this demon?"

"Considering I'm an expert on the Black Plague and, oh lets see now, gave you most of the information you have on it, I'm pretty sure that I know more than anyone does."

"About the plague, sure. But this demon is a different story."

"What part about me being from four generations of huntresses didn't quite make an impression on that painfully slow mind of yours?" Casey stopped and put a hand on her hip, staring up at him. "I've been doing just fine without you, intrepid hero. You don't know a thing about me. The only reason, _only reason_ I have even bothered to talk to you at all is because we are hunting the same thing and it seems inevitable that we're going to run into each other as we do so. I don't do partnerships, though, so you boys are on your own. I just want there to be an understanding between us if we do run into each other again."

Dean was speechless. He really had no idea what to say to her. That Dr. Casey Economou was one independent and strong-willed woman was an epic understatement. Part of him was already beyond frustrated and irritated with her. But the rest of him found her oddly intriguing. And hot, Dean shook his head, eyes drawn to her jeans as she rushed ahead of him. _Yeah, really hot._

"Are you listening to the words I'm saying, Deano?" Casey snapped her fingers in front of his face. Her eyebrows shot up and her mouth opened incredulously. "Are you making eyes at me?"

"What? No. Don't be ridiculous." Dean scoffed, trying to ignore the fact that he had totally been checking her out. He said, "Fine. I get it. You don't wanna work with us. I'm not sure I really wanna work with you either. You're kind of a snot, but could we try to be a little less like the US government here? Maybe not a partnership, but could we try to get along just on account of us being hunters?"

"A truce?"

"Yeah, something like that. Just since we're working on the same thing." He tried a charming smile. "We might as well try to pool resources so we're not wasting time. If we're going in the same direction anyway…"

Casey studied him consideringly. She tilted her head, lowered her sunglasses and said, "Fine. On a temporary, probationary basis."

"Deal." Dean pulled out his phone, knowing he was far overdue for his check in with Sam. Sure enough, multiple missed messages and texts. He glanced at the most recent text first and his heart sank.

_B sensed demons. left motel on foot. where are you? call me_

Dean dialed Sam while Casey stared at him. She could tell he was troubled and asked, "What's wrong?"

Dean grimaced as the call went to voicemail. "Sam's not picking up." He pulled his keys out of his pocket. "I have to go. They're in trouble."

"They?"

"Sam and Bennett."

Casey narrowed her eyes, remembering. "The intern."

"That's the one."

"Who is she, really? Because she's a lousy intern." Casey said, already having a pretty good idea who the girl was.

Dean was still hurrying to the car and said over his shoulder, "She's someone who needs our help. Look, I don't have time for the chit chat, lady. I've gotta go."

"Probationary hunter truce, remember?" Casey said, pulling out her own keys. "I'm coming with you."

"Fine." Dean gave her the name of the motel in Pace and got behind the wheel. He watched her run across the street to another parking lot. Well, he wasn't waiting around for her. He pulled the Impala around and out onto the street. He'd only made it a few blocks when he glanced in the rearview mirror and caught sight of a deep, forest green Mustang fastback; 1965 if he wasn't mistaken.

Dr. Casey Economou had good taste in cars, he had to give her that.

* * *

**Pace, FL**

Considering he had no idea where he was going and the only criteria in their escape plan was simply to get as far away from the demons as possible, Sam decided things weren't going too badly. They'd headed out behind the motel, avoiding the main road. By the time they'd hit the grassy field behind the motel, Bennett's strength was flagging, though. Sam held onto her arm as he led her into the woods and hopefully away from prying eyes. And demons. Glancing at her as she stumbled, Sam saw that her head was down and the blood was dripping unheeded as she tried to put one foot in front of the other.

He knew the moment she faded because his headache suddenly eased off. Sam caught her as she went down to her knees. He could only hope that they were far enough away from the demons. Lifting her into his arms, Sam looked for a place to take cover. It looked like they were in some kind of a park. Maybe a wildlife refuge. There was no path, but it wasn't so overgrown to make it difficult to walk through. Seeing a grassy spot under the shelter of a few brushy looking trees, Sam eased Bennett down.

She looked up at him, half-conscious, face covered in blood. He dropped his laptop case next to her, hearing his phone ring. Letting it go to voicemail, Sam concentrated on putting pressure on her nose to stop the bleeding. When she started to cough and gag on the blood flowing down her throat, he pulled her into a sitting position.

"Hey, you with me?" He felt her nod against his chest. Bennett leaned heavily against him, finally reaching up a shaking hand to take the washcloth. He asked, "You still sense them?"

"No."

"Ok, good. I'm going to give Dean a call." He pulled out his phone and hit speed dial. It rang one time before Dean picked up.

"Sammy, where are you?" Dean didn't sound hurt, which was good. But he sounded plenty worried.

Sam smiled. He'd been worried when Dean hadn't picked up and, given the messages he'd left for Dean, he could understand why his brother sounded stressed. He said, "We're in some kind of park, or woods area, at any rate, out behind the motel."

"You good?"

"We're ok for now."

"Demons?"

"She doesn't sense them right now. Where are you?"

"Ten minutes out from the motel. Hang tight."

Sam said, "We aren't going anywhere." He hung up the phone and stashed it in his pocket, taking a quick, assessing glance around. The area was devoid of life, which was fine by him. He felt Bennett moving and helped her sit up more, keeping a hand on her back.

She lowered the washcloth, using a clean corner to try to wipe the blood off her face. She said quietly, "I'm ok."

"You don't look like you are." Sam smiled slightly, tilting her head up. Her nose wasn't bleeding anymore, but her face was white as a sheet and she was shivering. He slid his jacket off and pulled it around her shoulders. "You're freezing."

"I'm ok." Bennett repeated, staring down at the bloody washcloth in her hands. She tossed it away and looked up at Sam. "Why did this happen to me?"

Sam frowned, feeling sorry for her. "I don't know."

"I was normal, once. I think." She didn't sound sure. "Why did I get put in… Why is this happening to me?"

"We're going to do everything we can to figure it out, Bennett." Sam said, brushing her hair out of her face.

Bennett asked in a whisper, "Why do I have this...this ability?"

That was at least a question Sam thought he could answer with something resembling confidence. He said, "It's kind of a long story. It also isn't the easiest thing to explain. Short version, we think you were infected with demon blood when you were a baby."

She arched an eyebrow, but didn't look terribly surprised that something freaky was behind it.

"A demon named Azazel was infecting infants in order to build an army when they grew up. The blood gave these children psychic abilities. Abilities like visions, mind control, super strength. The abilities started to manifest when the children were in their early twenties."

"Why do you think that's what happened to me?"

Sam smiled, "Because your ability, it affects me. I used to get severe headaches whenever I was around other people with the abilities."

"You've got psychic abilities?" Bennett asked.

"Did. It's been years since I've had a vision. But each time you've been using your ability to hide, I've gotten a really bad headache like I used to." He shrugged, "We don't know for sure, but that's our best guess right now."

Bennett studied him, trying to assimilate the new information. She finally asked, "So what about this demon? The army?"

Sam shook his head, "Another long story, but his plans didn't work out well for him."

"Ok, but why was I in hell? What did that have to do with anything?"

"I don't know. I really don't." He shrugged. That was the biggest mystery. He asked, "You still don't have any memories of your life before?"

"No." Bennett had tears in her eyes, "How can I not remember that?"

"You may be blocking it out. Self-defense mechanism. You use your ability to create images…"

"Maybe I'm somehow using my ability to erase my memories of my life before?" Bennett asked, her expression dubious. "Why would I block out memories of my life? When I can remember things about hell? That should be all blocked out, wouldn't you think?"

Sam took a deep breath and shrugged. There was a possibility, but he wasn't sure he wanted to bring it up. If she was blocking bad memories and remembered hell, but not her life before that, what kind of a life must she have had? He took a moment to look around again and ensure they were still alone.

Bennett lowered her head into her hands and whispered, "What happened to me?"

Sam shook his head and rubbed her back. He said gently, "I promise we're going to do everything we can to figure it out."

The comfortingly familiar sound of the Impala drew his attention away from Bennett. He located the general direction of the sound and realized Dean must have found a side road behind the motel. Along with the Impala, Sam realized he could hear another V8._ That's odd._ A second later, he heard both engines quiet and the sound of someone running through the woods.

"Sam!"

Sam rose and shouted, "Over here!"

Dean was jogging toward him, gun at the ready. Sam thought it looked like Dean had rolled in some dust, or tangled with something mean since the last time he'd seen him. Dean's expression of concern faded a bit when he saw Sam, only to reappear when he looked beyond Sam to see Bennett. She still sat crumpled on the ground, looking up wearily, eyes sunken and dark in a pale face.

"You guys ok?" Dean asked, putting the gun away.

"We're ok." Sam frowned as he saw someone else come running through the woods. He did a double take when he realized he recognized her. "Dean?"

Dean rolled his eyes as he heard Casey Economou skid to a stop next to him. "Yeah, look who I found."

"Dr. Economou." Sam said in disbelief. She smiled up at him, looking like an entirely different person from the sleek historian they had met with at the museum in Chicago. He asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Long, awkward story, Sam." Dean interjected, then Casey piped up.

"What's wrong with her?" She looked beyond Dean and pointed at Bennett, eyes wide and questioning. Noting the blood on her shirt, Casey said, "She looks terrible."

"Long, awkward story." Dean repeated.

"It's been a rough day." Sam said, "We're helping her out. Bennett, you remember Dr. Economou?"

Bennett nodded slowly. Casey glared at Dean and Sam, "Well you two are doing a downright genius job of helping her out if she looks like that. She looked fine yesterday. What happened to her?"

"Something I don't want to discuss standing here in the woods with demons in the vicinity." Dean said testily, glancing around and then back at Casey.

Casey pointedly ignored him and crouched down in front of Bennett. Recognizing both pain and fear in the girl's eyes, she tried an encouraging smile and asked gently, "How are you doing? Tell the truth, cuz if you need a doctor, I am fully capable of beating these two senseless and getting you out of here."

"Hey." Dean muttered in the background.

Bennett glanced at Casey uncertainly and said, "I'm ok."

"Liar." Casey frowned, reaching for Bennett's wrist and checking her pulse. She caught sight of the bloody washcloth and looked up at Sam, "Nosebleed, right?"

He nodded.

"What's causing them?" Casey asked.

The guys exchanged a look. Sam shrugged and Dean nodded. _Might as well tell her._ He looked back at Casey and said, "We aren't completely sure. She's got some kind of psychic ability." He briefly explained what had been happening. "This is the second time today."

"That's a lot of blood loss." Casey's frown deepened as she looked down at Bennett's shirt. Touching her cold cheek, Casey asked, "Are you dizzy?"

Bennett nodded, eyes barely open.

Casey looked up, keeping a hand on Bennett's shoulder, "Well, boys, we need to get her warmed up and do a bit of first aid. She needs fluids and rest or you're going to be taking her to a hospital. There's not really an in-between." She met Bennett's eyes, adding, "And you need to speak up if you don't start feeling any better, ok? The last thing we need is for you to drop on us. I will take you to a hospital if you want. Butch and Gigantor over here can't stop me."

"I don't want to go to a hospital. Please." Swallowing hard, Bennett whispered, "I'll be fine."

Dean nodded, crouching down to smile at her, "Hey, what do you say we get you cozy in the backseat and get out of here? We'll get you something to drink and you can follow your doc's orders. Sound good?"

"Yes."

"Ok." Dean said, looking at Sam and Casey. "We should get on the road."

Casey glanced at her watch and agreed, "It's getting late and we've got a three hour drive ahead of us."

"What?" Sam narrowed his eyes at her, then looked back at Dean for clarification.

Dean just closed his eyes and shook his head. "Another chapter in that long, awkward story. In the car, Sam. I'll tell you on the way." He glanced at Bennett, then at Casey. "Ok, let's get her up. It's time we were long gone."

* * *

**Road trip time! The fun has only just begun! Stay tuned... Thank you for reading. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Wednesday afternoon**  
**Northbound I-65**

"Wow." Sam stared out the windshield and shook his head slowly, "I did not see that coming."

Dean cast him a sideways glance and rolled his eyes. He'd just given Sam the 411 on Dr. Casey Economou, hunter. _Huntress,_ he corrected himself. They'd been discussing the newest developments in their case as they headed north. Dean said, "She's gonna be trouble. Already is."

Sam smiled, "You don't know that. I mean, she's been on top of everything so far and seems pretty competent."

"Competent? We don't know if she even knows which end of a knife to hold, Sam. We haven't seen her in action. She is bossy, though." He shook his head in irritation, "Besides, she's got a demon connection."

"It's not like we don't." Sam said ruefully, "She said his name was Dante?"

"Yeah. She seemed a bit too familiar with him, if you ask me."

"We've known quite a few demons by name." Sam shrugged. "I don't think that necessarily means anything."

Dean glanced in the rearview mirror at the forest green Mustang behind them. "We're stuck with her for the time being, that much is clear."

"And she said there'd been an outbreak in Wetumpka?" Sam clarified.

"She has the CDC app." Dean scoffed.

Sam laughed, but didn't comment.

Dean glared at Sam. Sam might think it was funny, but the Casey situation was bugging Dean. First of all, she bugged him because she was bossy and a snob. And then there was the nagging feeling that he knew her from somewhere. That feeling had been eating at the pit of his stomach since they first met and he just couldn't shake it; or explain it. For a moment, his mind wandered…

_"You're going the wrong way, idiot," she called after him._

_"I am not. I know exactly where I'm going," Dean shot back over his shoulder._

_"We're in a forest. A forest with trees that all look the same. And since we've been walking around aimlessly for hours now, I'm gonna say that you have no idea where you are going," she stopped to stare at him, hand on her hip. Her posture shouted irritation and annoyance._

_He glared at her, "Would you like to take the lead then, Miss I Know Everything?" _

_"Yes. I would." She turned on her heel and started walking away._

_"Where are you going?" Dean asked in exasperation._

_"The opposite way that you were. Your way was clearly not the right one," she rolled her eyes and kept walking._

_Dean blew out a frustrated breath and looked to the man walking next to him. He asked, "Why are we working with her?"_

_"Because she is important to the both of us, Dean," Cas replied, already walking away in the same direction she'd taken._

Realizing he was daydreaming, Dean shook himself out of his reverie and glanced over his shoulder to the back seat.

Bennett had been silently glaring at him for the past fifty miles since he'd had to enforce rule number one. He had _not_ been joking when he'd said there was no smoking in the Impala. She'd only been sitting up for about twenty minutes now and had been glaring at him for each and every one of those twenty minutes. Dean frowned, averted his eyes, then looked back at her again. _Did she ever blink?_

He finally said, "You can quit with the stink eye back there, missy. I don't think you know how difficult it is to get smoke out of upholstery."

Her expression didn't flicker.

Dean almost wished she'd go back to looking all pale and miserable. And then, two seconds later, he hated himself for the thought when she did exactly that. She stopped glaring and just looked scared.

"Bennett?" He asked, afraid he already knew the answer to his question. "What is it?"

She put her hand to her nose and said, "Demons."

* * *

Casey hit speed dial even though she really didn't want to talk to him. But she had no choice. She needed to know if he knew what Dante was up to. Needed to know if he'd sent Dante. If he hadn't, then Crowley needed to deal with his minion. Dante wasn't exactly the sort you wanted running around doing his own thing.

The phone call went to voicemail. She dropped the phone on the seat, then jumped a bit when Crowley abruptly materialized in the passenger seat. He said, "My dear girl, do you realize how busy I am?"

"I thought you always had time for me, Uncle Crowley." Casey smiled sweetly.

He shot her a sour look, then settled back in the seat, complaining. "This car is not exactly the most comfortable thing I've ever…"

"Crowley, shut up. I didn't ask you to ride shotgun, ok. I didn't ask you to tear yourself away from whatever evil deed you were in the middle of to come here." She pushed her sunglasses on top of her head and slowed to allow a car to pass her. It wouldn't do to have the Winchesters see that she suddenly had a passenger. Especially when it was Crowley. "I tried to call you."

"Sorry, darling. Had a lousy signal." He folded his arms across his chest. "What can your favorite uncle do for you today?"

"Do you know where Dante is?"

"Dante?" Crowley frowned. "You mean Bob Marley, my favorite little birdie?"

She nodded, "Is he on a job for you? He said he had an independent contract."

"Yes. He was supposed to be in California doing," Crowley paused, then smiled. "Well, you'd probably rather not know."

"But California. Not Pensacola."

Crowley scoffed, "Why would he be in Pensacola? I've got my best girl on that job."

Casey rolled her eyes, "Well your best girl ran into Bob Marley on her turf."

"And he said he was on an independent contract, hm?" Crowley's eyes grew darkly serious. "Thank you for letting me know, love. I'll deal with him."

When he didn't disappear, Casey looked over at him and said, "What are you waiting for? Again, I could have just let you a message."

Crowley put up his hands, "Easy. I'm not here to plague you," He smirked at his pun, "I wanted to make sure you were doing alright. Need anything?"

"Do you know where the plague demon is? Or what it's doing?" Casey asked although she'd already asked him those questions .

"Sorry, love, he's not exactly on speaking terms with me. I don't even know his name. I told you before, he's not on the team; not even on the reserve team. He's kind of like our bogey man."

"Excuse me?"

"A legend. Something you whisper about in the dark. The plague demon isn't the warm and fuzzy type, Casey." He sobered, "You need to be careful."

"Your concern is touching."

"Don't say I didn't try to warn you." Crowley shrugged, "Tell Moose and Squirrel hello for me."

* * *

"It's gone now." Bennett looked confused as she wiped her nose with some fast food napkins. "The demon. It's gone."

"Ok, that's good." Dean exchanged a glance with Sam. It was interesting having a demon early warning system in the backseat. Kind of creepy, actually, when he thought about it. To know every single time that a demon was around, yeah, that was a bit spooky. He looked at Bennett and ordered, "You need to lay back down. Now."

She sighed, but did as he told her. Once she was snuggled back down under Sam's jacket, head resting on his backpack, she said, "I'm glad it's gone. It was a powerful one."

Sam turned around and asked, "Bennett, is there any way you can just disguise yourself from the demons?"

"Instead of shielding all of us?" She asked, rubbing her forehead.

"Yeah." Sam smiled at her, "Every time you do it, I kind of get a headache."

"Right, I'm sorry." She looked mortified. "I got used to protecting Bobby and I just don't think about it."

"It's ok." Sam said.

"Yeah, it's ok." Dean added, "Just stop doing it to him."

"I will." Bennett promised, resting her arm across her eyes.

Sam shot him a glare but Dean just shrugged. For almost an hour, there was silence in the car. Dean was lost in thought, still trying and failing, to come up with a solution to the mystery of Casey Economou. Sam had been reading an ancient book on the plague that Casey had given him before they'd left Florida. Finishing up what he was reading, Sam caught sight of something in the side mirror. Twisting around, he glanced out the rear windshield. Casey had fallen behind another car, but was now directly behind them, flashing her lights.

"Uh, Dean, you didn't get Casey's number did you?" Sam asked.

"No."

"Seriously?" Sam was incredulous. And amused. Maybe more amused than incredulous. He pulled out his phone even as he smirked at Dean. "You were all over her in Chicago and now you didn't bother to get her digits?"

Dean glared at him, "Dude, I did not know she was a hunter when we were in Chicago. What's your point?"

Sam waved his thumb back as he dialed Alice Winters. "She's flashing her lights." A second later she picked up, "Hey, it's Sam Winchester. Is something wrong? Oh, ok. Sure. We'll pull off ahead. Yeah, ok."

"What's up?" Dean asked, looking ahead for the next exit. "She needs a bathroom, right? Women…"

"Hey." Bennett said, her sour glare back in place.

"Sorry, sorry!" Dean held up a hand. _Women_. He looked at Sam.

"She needs power steering fluid and gas." Sam said, inordinately amused at how poorly his brother was faring against the women in their company.

Dean nodded. He was down to a quarter tank so they could both fill up and then hit Wetumpka without another stop. Another few miles and he pulled off at an exit that had one gas station and the requisite Waffle House on the opposite corner. The Mustang followed and together, they pulled into the station. Dean had just turned the car off when the back door opened and Bennett dragged herself out of the car; stumbling toward the end of the parking lot. At first concerned, Dean saw her pull out her cigarettes and he rolled his eyes.

"Girl takes her smokes seriously, doesn't she?" Dean whistled as he and Sam got out of the car. He looked at his brother across the roof. "Blood loss, demons, nothing's going to keep her from it. Where'd she even pick that habit up?"

"Who knows. Given what she's been through, I don't think it's the worst thing she could be doing." Sam shrugged and said, "I'm gonna grab a soda. You want anything?"

"Yeah, get me a couple of those little pies. You know, the ones that look like hot pockets but aren't." Dean said, beginning to fuel up the car.

"I know. I know." Sam nodded and walked into the shop.

Dean turned around to check on Casey and found her leaning under the hood of the Mustang. He paused forward movement and tilted his head, enjoying the view. It was only when she straightened up and turned around that he realized he was wearing a very sappy smile. Clearing his throat, he tried to look concerned.

"Do you need some help there, Echo?" He asked, nodding to the car.

She arched an eyebrow and shook her head, "For the millionth time, don't call me that!"

"I think I recall hearing someone say that before. Is there an Echo in here?" Dean teased. His expression sobered when Casey looked like she was about to punch him in the nose. "Seriously though, do you need any help?"

"I've been taking care of my baby since I stole him. I think I've got it covered."

"Stole?" Dean repeated in shock.

"You heard me." Casey grinned. "I worked at a shop when I got out of high school to pay for college. I know about everything there is to know about what makes a car run, Deano. Had a boyfriend. Liked to take out some of his frustrations on anything that he was close to. Took me awhile to figure out it didn't have to be me." She headed for the gas pump, brushing past him with a quick smirk, "I figured it out, though."

Dean said, "Good for you. So you stole his car?"

"Seemed like the thing to do." Casey shrugged and pointed to the Impala. "What about you? That's a sweet ride."

"Was my dad's." Dean said, leaning against her car as she fueled up.

"Nice. Your dad a hunter?"

"Was."

"Sorry." Casey said, looking away.

Dean shrugged, "We're still in the awkward phase, right?"

"Sure." She smiled.

"OK. So what's your story? You looked like you belonged at that museum. Now… I can't really figure you out." He pursed his lips as he considered her. "How'd you wind up at that museum if you came from four generations of hunters?"

"Huntresses." She corrected automatically. "Long story."

"Aren't they always?"

Casey took a deep breath and nodded slowly, "Ok. My great-great grandfather was a hunter. He had one kid, my great-granny Beatrice. Taught her everything. It just filtered through the generations after that. I came by the skills more or less naturally."

"And your parents? They were ok with 'the life'?" Dean asked.

"Dad was never around. Never even met him. And mom… well she did her best."

"Where is she now?" he probed.

"A Wendigo got her when I was about fifteen," Casey said, then mentally gave herself a shake. _Why am I telling him this? I don't even know him!_

"I'm sorry," Dean offered a sad smile. He certainly understood the painful loss of a parent.

"It's ok, it was a long time ago," Casey said, her voice giving away the sadness she still felt.

Dean tried to distract her from the memory, "Ok, so I get how you fit into the life of a hunter… huntress, whatever, but how does your alter ego, the professor back in Chicago fit in?"

"It's my day job." She shrugged, "My granny Winny taught history. I came by that naturally too, I guess."

Dean nodded, "So you just pick up hunts on the weekends?"

"Something like that." Casey finished gassing the car up and nodded to the shop. "I need power steering fluid then we can go. We'll be lucky if the plague demon is still in the area."

Dean watched her walk into the shop, then caught sight of Sam over by Bennett. She reached out a hand as Sam handed her a bottle of water and a sandwich. Dean rolled his eyes when he saw Sam also give her a pack of cigarettes.

"You're enabling her?" Dean asked when Sam walked over to the car. "You bought her cigarettes?"

"Dean, she doesn't have any money. She doesn't even know her name and she's been in hell for sixteen years." Sam said, handing him a bag filled with Hostess pies and a bottle of soda. "I've enabled your pie habit our entire lives."

"Pie doesn't kill you." Dean groused, getting behind the wheel and digging out a pie.

Sam got into the passenger seat and said, "One word, Dean. _SucroCorp._"

Dean nearly choked on his first bite of pie. He glared at Sam, "Gah. Don't remind me."

"I'm just saying, give her a break."

"Fine, fine." Dean said, watching as Casey walked back to her car to put in the power steering fluid. By the time she closed her hood, Bennett had made her way back to their car. Dean narrowed his eyes at her, but she didn't seem to feel like continuing their glaring match from earlier. She just looked tired. He turned from studying her when there was a tapping on his window. He unrolled it and Casey handed him a piece of notepaper.

"My number. I don't want to have to keep pulling out my CDC burner."

Dean ignored Sam's smirk and amused snort. He took the paper and said, "Thanks. We good to go?"

Casey pulled her sunglasses down and said, "Should be a straight shot from here. I've got the hospital on my GPS so you boys can follow me the rest of the way."

She moved so quickly back to her Mustang that Dean didn't have the chance to argue. Of course, the fact that he was choking on his blueberry pie didn't help. He leveled a wicked scowl at Sam. His brother didn't seem to be at all concerned that he was choking. He was just laughing.

Finally inhaling air and not pie, Dean griped, "I'm not following her."

"Uh, yeah, you are." Sam pointed as the Mustang roared out of the station. He tried not to laugh again, but he couldn't help himself.

"Shut up." Dean said, burning rubber. He was _not_ following her all the way to Wetumpka.

* * *

**Wednesday evening **  
**Wetumpka, AL **  
**Motel**

He followed her all the way to Wetumpka.

At least Sam had gotten busy making phone calls and had finally stopped laughing. And Bennett had curled up and fallen asleep so, for the rest of the trip, no one gave him any grief. They'd arrived in Wetumpka and grabbed a motel room in order to change. Dean finished adjusting his tie in the mirror, then turned around. Casey wore a black business suit and had her hair up. He wasn't particularly happy about the arrangement, but there was no way he wasn't going with her to the hospital. The first Wetumpka victim was still breathing so they were headed there first.

"Ready? Or you need a few more minutes with the mirror there, Deano?" Casey asked, tapping her fingers on the table. "Cuz I can handle this by myself if you don't want to come."

"Look, this isn't your case, lady." Dean said, putting his FBI badge in his pocket. "We were on this case before we met you. I'm coming with you."

Casey turned to look at Dean. She put her hand on her hip, tilted her head and said, "Excuse me? Not my case? Between the two of us who has a doctorate in Medieval History? And who here wrote their thesis on the Black Death? Oh yeah, not you! Also, I wouldn't forget who gave you all your information, Deano."

She walked out the door without another word.

Dean put his hands up and made a strangling motion. He said, "I think I hate her."

"You want me to go with her?" Sam asked with an innocent smile, "I kinda like her."

"No." Dean said quickly, glaring at Sam. He pointed a finger over at Bennett as he pulled his suit coat on. "Just keep Lucky Strike here out of trouble." Dean stopped beside Bennett as she clicked through the TV channels. He leaned down and said firmly, "No smoking in the Impala."

Clearly he wasn't as frightening to her as the demons were because she glared at him then leaned around so she could look past him and continue watching the infomercial. Sam laughed as Dean shook his head and stormed out the door after Casey.

He found her already behind the wheel of her Mustang. Even though they'd all discussed the plan and he'd even agreed to it, Dean couldn't help but balk at having to leave the Impala and go with Casey in her car. But they were on a tight time frame. It had already been almost four hours since the first victim had been reported to the CDC; which meant he'd probably been ill for awhile before that. The plague demon might not even still be in Wetumpka. So they were dividing to conquer. Casey had offered to visit the hospital on her own to allow Dean and Sam the opportunity to go investigate the victim's school; the last place the victim had apparently been before becoming ill.

But Dean wasn't ready to trust her that much yet. So Sam was taking the Impala to go check out the school while Dean and Casey headed to the hospital. He opened the door and got in as she started up the Mustang. A quick look around the interior showed him she took as much pride in her car as he did in his. Wordlessly, she pulled out of the parking lot. For a few moments, there was only the sound of the engine and Creedence Clearwater Revival on the radio to dissipate the oppressive silence.

"So CCR?" Dean finally spoke up, "Not bad, but I prefer…"

"Driver picks the tunes, shotgun shuts his trap." Casey said, turning the volume up and effectively silencing Dean for the rest of the trip.

* * *

**Ah, a nice and peaceful chapter. This is your warning: Don't get used to it! ;) Things get very, very sticky in the next few chapters. Hope you are enjoying and that you'll stick around for the rest of the story! Thank you for reading. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry this is so late...Had no internet all day. :( Hope you enjoy...things are about to get very, very sticky for our heroes...**

* * *

**Wednesday 1720 **  
**Wetumpka High School **  
**Wetumpka, AL**

Sam parked the Impala and studied the school. Looked like every other small town high school he'd ever seen; or attended. Bennett stared at it for a moment, then turned to him expectantly. They'd debated the wisdom in bringing Bennett along on this trip. She was a wild card, that was for sure. But they hadn't felt comfortable leaving her alone at the motel given the little fact that demons were after her. Besides which, she'd nearly had a panic attack at the thought of being left alone even for a minute. Sam just hoped they'd made the right choice.

"You ready?" He asked with a smile.

"To be an intern with the FBI?" Bennett held up her badge, flipping it open just like Dean had taught her. She grinned, "Let's go catch some crooks. Well, demons anyway."

Sam laughed, "I guess you're ready."

They got out of the Impala and headed toward the front door. He'd called ahead to set up their visit and had a feeling the harried principal wasn't going to give them any trouble. Having one of your students contract the black plague seemed to make people a bit more open to supposed expert opinions. He held the door open for Bennett and they entered the nearly empty school. A few kids milled around in the halls, but almost everyone was gone. It didn't take them long to find the principal.

"You're the FBI?" A squeaky voice asked.

Sam nodded as a portly man in a dress shirt and loosened tie came out of an office. Pulling out his ID card, Sam held it up for the man to look at even as Bennett proudly flipped hers open. Sam said, "Yes, Sam Kath. And this is Agent Bennett Lamm."

"Eddie Evers." He offered a sweaty hand. "Come in, please come in. Have a seat." The principal shoved a pile of loose notes off the desk as he sat down heavily in his chair. He looked up with a helplessly frightened expression, "I don't know, I just don't know what's going on. Nothing, nothing at all like this has ever happened to me...to us. Ever. Wetumpka. We're in Wetumpka. Nothing happens in Wetumpka."

The poor guy was a wreck. Sam felt sorry for him and said, "I know this must be very difficult for you, Mr. Evers. This isn't exactly something most people are prepared to deal with."

"The plague. They said it was the plague." Eddie nodded, eyes wide in disbelief. "Who gets the plague?"

"Right now, a lot of people." Sam said, "That's what we're investigating. We need to know whatever you can tell us about the student who became ill earlier today."

Eddie wrung his hands, a picture of misery. "Rick Ulley. That's his name. He's dying, they say. In the hospital. _Dying._ He was in my calculus class this morning."

Sam jotted that down in his notebook and asked, "He got sick sometime today? We were expecting that he'd begun having symptoms yesterday perhaps."

"Oh, no. He was fine yesterday. Fine this morning."

"When did he begin feeling ill?"

"After lunch."

"Did he eat here at the school?"

"No, Rick went out with some friends."

"Where?"

Eddie looked more upset. "The fast food joint up the road. Nothing special, nothing unusual."

Sam said, "Ok. Are any of his friends sick now?"

"Yes. Lindsey Adams. Her mom just called me, just before you guys got here. She's in the ICU too."

No wonder the guy looked like such a mess, Sam thought. As it had been in the other two towns, the victims began dropping rapidly after the initial victim. He said, "Do you have the names of any of his other friends who ate with them? We'd like to follow up with them."

Eddie nodded, pulling out a notepad. He scribbled down a few names. "Rick is a good kid. But he has always been buddies with Matt Jacobs. Matt has been bad news since kindergarden."

"Thank you. Is there a place we can find Matt?" Sam asked glancing at the list of names.

"Yeah. Matt's dad runs a bar on the north edge of town; 'bout forty minutes up the old highway. You can't miss it. Big ugly VW minivan parked in front with the name _Boozer_ painted on it." Eddie shook his head, "Not a high class establishment. And Matt isn't exactly class himself. He dropped out of highschool and is following right in his father's footsteps. Matt's just a kid, but he looks like Rocky IV. You won't be able to miss him either."

"Ok. Thanks." Sam said, "Anything else you can think of that would help our investigation?"

Eddie shrugged, sitting back in his seat. "I wouldn't know even what else to tell you. I don't even know how the FBI investigates something like the black plague."

By winging it, Sam thought to himself. "Has anyone reported seeing anything unusual in the area? Like an odd blue smoke?"

"Blue smoke?"

"We think that's how the disease is being transmitted." Bennett piped up unexpectedly. She sat forward and smiled at the principal, "It's airborne and there seems to be some sort of spore, looks like a puff of smoke, that is transmitting it from victim to victim."

Sam raised an eyebrow at her. Clearly she'd been paying attention to all of their discussions and was now taking her role very seriously. She focused on the principal and Eddie was focused on her. Eddie said, "I haven't heard of anything like that, no. Maybe Matt saw something?"

"We'll ask him." Sam nodded.

"That's about all I think I can do for you." Eddie said sadly. "I wish I could help more; I wish those kids hadn't gotten sick. I heard about it happening in Pensacola and all, but I didn't think it would happen here." He shook his head, tears in his eyes. "We're in Wetumpka. Nothing ever happens in Wetumpka."

* * *

**Wednesday 1720 **  
**Wetumpka Hospital **  
**Wetumpka, AL**

Dean scratched at his nose through the mask. Then he scratched at his chest. Then his ear. Everything itched. He caught Casey giving him a wide-eyed and very irritated stare so he lowered his gloved hand. Lindsey Adams' mom was currently crying a river in the chair next to her unconscious daughter's ICU bed. Casey sat next to the grieving woman, a gloved hand patting Mrs. Adams' own gloved hand. They were all wearing masks, gloves and isolation gowns. And everything was hot and itched like the dickens.

To keep his mind off his discomfort, and to keep his eyes from looking back at the nearly dead girl in the bed, Dean asked, "Mrs. Adams, is there anything else you can tell us about your daughter's day?"

The woman looked up, tears brimming up against the edge of the mask. "I'm sorry. I don't know what else to tell you. Lindsey was at school. At school! How could this happen?" She hiccupped a panicky sob and practically screamed, "Ricky's already dead! He's dead and my daughter is going to be next. She's going to die. Today. My daughter is going to die of a disease that isn't supposed to kill anyone anymore."

Mrs. Adams collapsed forward, crumpling into herself. Casey scooted her chair closer and put an arm around the sobbing woman. Dean took a deep breath, meeting Casey's eyes. She looked like she might be considering crying herself. He shook his head and turned away. He didn't know the total count of victims. Casey probably had on her phone app, but he knew people were dropping like flies. And they hadn't done anything yet to solve the problem. People were dying. And it was because of a demon.

* * *

**Wednesday 1800 **  
**Boozers Bar **  
**Wetumpka, AL**

"You heard what he said." Bennett shrugged, looking at the ugly VW minivan and the dismal bar beyond it. "Nothing ever happens in Wetumpka."

Sam snorted in amusement as he climbed out of the car. Nothing might have happened in Wetumpka before, but now, things were happening in Wetumpka in a big way. He looked across the roof of the Impala and stared at the bar for a moment. It didn't look very busy. A few cars. Early on a weekday. Not prime business hours for a bar. Hopefully, they'd at least be able to get ahold of Matt. He was about their last lead now that the first victim, Rick Ulley, was dead. He'd called Dean on their way to the bar to update him on their findings. He hadn't expected to hear that one of the victims had already died.

Bennett looked at him over the roof. She seemed troubled. Sam asked, "Hey, you ok?"

"I guess."

"Are you sensing something?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe something. Not a demon." She said with confidence. "But it just doesn't feel right."

Sam walked to her side of the car and studied her. They'd changed into jeans at the motel before heading out to the bar and despite her longsleeved sweater, Bennett was shivering. She still looked like she belonged in bed. He frowned at her, "You sure you feel up to this? Want to stay in the car?"

"No." Bennett shook her head emphatically, taking a step closer to him. "No I don't. Let's just do this. I want to get out of here."

"Ok." Sam said, and started walking to the front door.

Bennett became like a shadow and her fear was beginning to make him nervous. A country bar, nothing sinister, seemed to grow sinister as they drew closer. He could hear a jukebox playing some old country song. Nice and normal. Opening the door, they walked into a very ordinary looking bar. Smoky, smelling of liquor with a pool table in the far corner. He'd been in a hundred such bars in his lifetime. This one definitely ranked on the lower end of the scale as far as decor and upkeep went, but it wasn't the worst he'd ever seen either.

At first, Sam didn't see anyone. Just as he was about to head to the back of the room, he felt a viselike grip on his right wrist. Turning, he looked down at Bennett and watched in shock as her face went from absolute terror to sudden peace. As if a switch had been flipped, she blinked and smiled at him, her eyes taking on a blank expression. She was painting a picture, he realized, turning around, noticing that her grip on his wrist hadn't loosened at all. When he finally saw what she'd seen first, Sam couldn't blame her for making something up and pretending not to see what was in the room with them.

He'd been ready to reach for his gun, but there was no point. Except for them, everyone in the room was dead. Very dead. Sam took a step backwards, pushing Bennett behind him and toward the door. There were five bodies on the floor in front of them. The bodies were sprawled on the filthy floor, swollen, discolored and wholly awful. He was no expert on the bubonic plague, but the bodies before him looked like the victims he'd seen at the hospital in Pensacola.

Sam's heart thudded painfully in his chest as he took in the graphic scene. Worst of all, though, was the body he hadn't seen at first. The one leaning up against the far wall. The one that looked an awful lot like Rocky IV. Or what Rocky IV might have looked like after being exsanguinated and melted. Matt. Sam narrowed his eyes and took a step closer, Bennett still holding his arm. Matt looked different from the rest of the bodies. But the realization that they were standing in the middle of a hotbed of plague germs and were taking the chance of getting infected, spurred him to action. He needed to talk to Dean, but more importantly, he needed to get the authorities out to the scene to quarantine the bar before anyone else came and got infected.

Before Sam even had his cell phone out of his pocket, he heard Bennett gasp and immediately got a crushing headache as the scene around them melted away into the scene of a peaceful park. He turned to the girl and saw her shaking and trying to pull him to the door. She obviously sensed something, but Sam didn't see anyone.

"Sam, we need to go. They're here. They came back." Bennett whispered.

Sam shook his head and pulled out his gun. "No. Bennett, you need to let me out of your illusion. I can't think with this headache."

"It's not safe!" Her voice rose with panic, "They're coming in from the back of the bar."

"It's ok." He faced her and gave her shoulders a gentle shake until he was certain she was looking at him, "Look, you stay hidden. Do whatever you have to. Go back out to the car and stay hidden, but you have got to let me out." He squeezed her arm, looking around the room again. Still empty. "Bennett?"

She nodded and instantly the headache let up. He pushed her toward the front door just as two men walked out of the back room. Sam turned to face them, gun raised. He didn't recognize them, but he knew what they were.

_Demons._

* * *

**Wednesday 1800 **  
**Wetumpka Hospital **  
**Wetumpka, AL**

"It was typically spread by flea bites." Casey said softly. "That's why it was so rampant during the Middle Ages. Hygiene was basically nonexistent. People didn't understand disease transmission. They had no idea that their refuse, dumped out their windows into the street, was teeming with germs and that all of that went into the water supply."

"Ick." Dean gagged dramatically. "I didn't need to know that."

Casey stared up at him in mild irritation. He had been annoying her with his questions while she'd been going through the patient records. Despite the annoyance, she was having trouble keeping her eyes off him. He'd slung his suit jacket over the back of his chair, rolled up his shirtsleeves and loosened his tie. The sight of his toned arms was making it more difficult to concentrate than she wanted to admit. Chewing her pen cap, Casey dragged her eyes back up to his face and found herself struggling to get past the scruff. She snapped the extra rubberband around her wrist. _Need to focus here!_

Shaking her head, she said, "OK. Maybe not. But the point is, the plague is typically, and most commonly, transmitted by flea bites. Contaminated fluid or tissue can progress to septicemic plague. The other type of plague, pneumonic, is transmitted by droplets. But it requires the victim to be in very close contact with the infected person."

Dean rolled his chair closer to where she sat at the nurses station, looking at a computer monitor. "What's your point?"

"My point is that what we're seeing….with this plague now, today, it's not normal." Casey pulled her hair down from its place on the top of her head. It hugged her shoulders and she ran a hand through her soft curls in frustration. She went back to chewing on her pen cap and staring at the computer screen; acutely aware of how close Dean was sitting. "The transmission rate and infectivity of this thing is 10 times faster and more virulent than the plague of the MIddle Ages. The CDC thinks this is being transmitted via droplet infection, but when they've tested the saliva and respiratory secretions of the victims, no one has found yersinia pestis in the secretions."

"For those of us that don't have a PhD that means what?"

Casey rolled her eyes,"It means we don't know how this is being transmitted from victim to victim."

An alarm went off overhead. Dean watched a few nurses running down the hall. Towards Lindsey Adams' room. He sucked in a deep breath, knowing it was a bad sign. He tossed a pen at the wall and ran a hand across his face. He said softly, "We know how it's being transmitted, Casey. By a demon."

"Right. I know." Casey nodded. "Even so, something's very wrong here."

"We've got people dropping like flies. Yeah, something's very wrong here."

Casey leaned closer to him and placed a hand on his arm, lowering her voice as the nurses at the station brushed past them. "We can't fix this."

Dean watched her drop her pen cap and moved to cover her hand with his. She had fear and panic in her eyes. She looked down at their hands and quickly pulled away as if she had been burned.

"I don't think there's a cure for the victims." She cleared her throat, pushing away any emotions she was feeling and then continued, "This plague, it's killing in a different way. And the usual treatments haven't seemed to be working for any of the victims. We have to stop that demon. There is no other way."

She wasn't telling him anything he didn't already know, but he couldn't help but feel a growing sense of concern. Casey was the expert on the plague and if she was telling him there was a problem, he believed her. He started to ask her a question but was interrupted by a piercing scream from somewhere down the hall.

They were on their feet at the same time, exchanging glances. Two more screams sent them around the edge of the nurses station desk and out to the hallway, a scene of growing chaos and panic. People were running in all directions and Dean realized immediately that it wasn't the orderly way people ran when they were running to help in a crisis. No, these people were running in that way that said they were terrified out of their minds and simply looking for the first escape they could find.

"This is so not good." Dean muttered, pushing through the people. Alarms were ringing and more people were screaming. Screams of absolute horror. And when they turned the corner, Dean could understand. Casey gasped as she pressed close to his side.

There were two bodies lying in the hall. Bodies that lay in pools of blood so large that the blood reached both sides of the hallway. Dean took in the scene, vaguely registering the fact that the two victim's throats had been sliced open, then looked beyond the nightmarish mess. At the end of the hall stood a vaguely familiar person. Demon, Dean corrected himself. And the demon had a frightened woman in front of him, his hands around her neck.

* * *

**Oooh...not good, not good! Hope you enjoyed and that you'll come back for more! Things have only just begun to go downhill... Thank you for reading! Would love to hear what you thought of the chapter. :)**


	11. Chapter 11

_Hold on to your seats, folks! This one gets a bit intense!_

* * *

**Wednesday, 1810  
Hospital  
Wetumpka, AL**

"Why Casey!" Dante's Jamaican accent would have been remarkably sexy on anyone else. "Fancy meeting you here, babe."

Casey glared at him, feeling Dean's gaze on her. She and Dean gingerly stepped past the two bodies in the middle of the hallway. They paused several yards away from Dante, keeping their guns at the ready. Casey said, "Let that poor woman go, Dante. There's no reason we can't talk about this like grown ups."

Dante licked his lips, giving the woman's neck a little squeeze. Her eyes were huge and teary, but she was holding very still. Casey locked eyes with the woman and gave her a nod and a small smile. The woman managed a brave smile in return.

"Casey, there was a time when we could have had a polite discussion. Now we'll have to have an impolite one." Dante let up some of the pressure on the woman's neck and his fake smile melted away into an ugly expression of hate. His eyes turned black as he spoke, "You have something I want. You and those Winchesters."

Dean said, "I don't believe we've had the pleasure of introductions."

"Dante." the demon grinned, "I should have ended you back in Pensacola."

"Dean. Why didn't you?"

Dante smirked again, "Ah, little Casey there wouldn't let me."

Casey felt Dean's gaze on her again, but she ignored him and asked, "What is it you want, Dante?"

"I want the plague maiden."

"Why?"

Dante squeezed the woman's neck again and said, "You don't get to ask the questions, babe. I'm not in the mood. Just tell me where the girl is; the little one dragged back from hell. Give her to me and this nurse can save another patient tomorrow. Otherwise…"

"Stop." Dean said as the demon squeezed again and the woman gasped. "Just stop, ok? She's not with us. The girl you want. But we can take you to her."

"Deano?" Casey muttered half under her breath.

Dean ignored her, holding his gun up in a motion of surrender. "Please. No one else needs to get hurt here today. I don't really want to keep the girl anyway. She's bad juju, man. And she smokes."

Dante crinkled his nose in disgust. "No way."

"Way."

"Disgusting."

"And bad for the lungs." Dean agreed, still holding his gun up in surrender. He said, "Look, she got dumped on us. We didn't ask for her and I'd be glad to get rid of her. I've got bigger fish to fry than some half-crazy girl back from hell. Who needs that kind of drama?"

The demon seemed to be considering the situation. He said, "Where is she?"

"We've got her tied up in a shed on an empty lot south of town. I didn't want her running off while we tried to figure things out."

Casey bit her tongue, allowing Dean to continue running the show. She could tell Dante wasn't completely buying the story. But he didn't know Dean like he knew _her_ so the demon wasn't sure. Not sure enough that Dean was lying to kill the woman and lose his chance of finding the plague maiden. And not sure enough that Dean was telling the truth to let the nurse go. Casey held her breath as the negotiations continued.

"Address." Dante asked.

Dean spit out an address as if he really knew it and hadn't just made it up off the top of his head. Casey was impressed with his confidence in his lie. A_lways be specific when you lie,_ an old proverb came back to her. Well, Dean had been specific.

Dante nodded slowly. He said, "Throw your phones over here."

They tossed their phones across the hall. Dante moved the woman forward far enough that he could stomp his foot down on each of the phones. After a few seconds of enthusiastic stomping, their phones were history.

Dante grinned, "Well thanks. Appreciate the help."

She couldn't have saved the woman. Never could have gotten there in time. Even her bullet, and the ones fired from Dean's gun, hadn't been fast enough. Dante snapped the poor nurse's neck in less than a heartbeat. Casey knew she was screaming, but she couldn't hear anything over the whooshing in her ears as she slipped in the blood and put out a hand against the wall to steady herself. Dante had vanished down the hall by the time she and Dean reached the poor woman.

People continued running past them; giving them a good indication of where Dante was going. Casey ground her teeth and clenched her left hand into a fist as she ran. She'd told Crowley that Dante was up to something; why hadn't he been dealt with before now? Why was he in Wetumpka if he should have been taken care of a long time ago? Crowley had said he would take care of Dante and she knew she could trust him on that. Maybe nothing else, but that. She almost ran into Dean as he skidded to a stop at the door of a hospital room. Casey pushed next to him and stared into the room. The patient was likely comatose, hooked up to every monitor imaginable and completely oblivious to the drama taking place at the foot of his bed.

Dante stood looking toward the door, an expression of terror on his rapidly paling face. Casey frowned as she caught sight of an awful, grotesque face just behind Dante's head. It must have been human at one point. Actually, Casey felt her stomach twist, it had been human just an hour or so ago. The face that looked like a transparent mask with nothing behind it but a pale blue glow had belonged to Mrs. Adams.

* * *

**Wednesday 1820  
****Boozers Bar  
****Wetumpka, AL**

Sam mentally kicked himself. _Repeatedly._ He should have had Ruby's knife with him. Should have thought to bring it in with them. Always be prepared. Pushing his regret from his mind, Sam focused on the situation. He took a quick glance behind him and found Bennett hovering next to the front door, her face ashen. Looking back at the demons, there were three now, Sam took a deep breath.

One of the demons stepped forward, his hands smoothing across the top of the bar as he leaned against it. He said, "Sam Winchester. I've heard of you."

"Then you probably have heard I don't much like demons." Sam said, keeping his gun trained on the demons, for all the good it would do him.

The demon smiled, "Oh, I don't know. I've heard you kind of had a thing for Ruby."

Sam's jaw tightened at the name, but he refocused, "What are you doing here?"

"Same thing you are."

"Oh? I was just looking for a quiet drink and walked into this mess. You boys have anything to do with that?" He tilted his head toward the bodies on the floor.

The demon clicked his tongue and shook his head in disgust. "Gross. Just gross. Such a pathetic way to die, isn't it?"

"It's the plague. I don't think it's called the Black Death because there was something particularly nice about it." Sam said, trying to avoid looking back at the disgusting bodies. Matt's corpse still bothered him. It was different. Why? What made him die so differently? Differently from any kind of death Sam had ever seen before.

There was a moment of silence, then as if by cue, the three demons all moved as one and headed towards him. Sam fired, backing up, but there was no way he would be able to do anything against the demons without Ruby's knife. Cursing his folly, Sam continued to fire at the advancing demons. The leader of the group easily tossed him into a table. Sam rolled off it, raising the gun only to be jumped by another demon. He landed facedown on the floor as the demon tackled him. Sam tried to get out from under the demon before he could get pinned to the ground but the other two demons were holding his arms down. The gun was pulled from his hand and Sam realized he was going to die. Still fighting to get out from under the demons, he knew he didn't stand a chance.

And then he heard three simultaneous, terrified screams. The hands holding him disappeared and his gun hit the floor with a clunk. Rolling over and looking up, Sam was shocked to find all three demons recoiling away from him. Their arms went up in gestures of surrender and their faces twisted into expressions of terror.

Sam frowned, completely at a loss. They stood there, a few feet away from him, arms up, shaking their heads and begging for mercy. He sat up, reaching for his gun, frowning at the three monsters. They didn't move.

"Ask them."

Turning at Bennett's soft voice, Sam saw that she was holding a hand out in front of her, her face sheet white, eyes focused on the demons. He asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm painting them a picture. It isn't a nice one." She gasped, squeezing her eyes closed, "They think they're being tortured. Ask them what you need to know."

Sam's eyes widened, and he immediately turned back. Her nose was already bleeding and he knew she wasn't going to be able to hold onto the illusion for very long. He had one chance and she was giving it to him. He faced the demons and asked, "Why are you here?"

"We're looking for the plague maiden."

"Why?"

"She wants her. She wants the plague maiden! Please, please stop!" The demon sobbed.

"Who wants the plague maiden?"

"Abbadon."

Sam felt a chill run down his spine. He asked, "Why? What does Abbadon want with the plague maiden?"

"She wants to use her to...she's going to kill...kill everyone! That's all I know, I swear!"

Sam heard Bennett cough behind him and he knew he didn't have much time left. He asked, "What happened to these people here? Why does Matt look different?"

The demon was sweating, gasping and moaning as if he were being stabbed repeatedly. It was one of the strangest things Sam had ever seen. Three demons standing in front of him as if they had been tied up to a wall and were being stabbed with hot pokers.

"That one, that one that looks different," The demon sobbed, "He was the carrier. Pestis was using him. He infected the others then his body couldn't survive Pestis."

"Pestis?" Sam tilted his head.

The demon's face was turning red, veins popping out on his forehead and he screamed, "The plague demon. Pestis is the demon! The bringer of the pestilence. The one killing everyone. Oh, please, stop it stop it! I don't know anything else."

Sam didn't believe that, but he knew Bennett couldn't continue for much longer. He turned to look at her. She was on her knees now, head down, hand still up, but shaking badly. Sam needed the knife. He shouted, "I'll be right back. Don't let them go."

Bennett just screamed.

Sam ran. He skidded and almost fell as he hit the trunk of the Impala. He had the trunk open and Ruby's knife in his hand less than thirty seconds after leaving the bar. Another thirty seconds and he was back through the door and driving the knife through the closest demon. Repeating the action, Sam watched with satisfaction as the head demon flashed in and out in flaming red-yellow pulses.

Turning to the third demon, Sam heard Bennett slumping onto the floor with a soft sigh as she lost consciousness. Immediately he flew across the bar to smack painfully into the wall as the remaining demon took control of the situation. At least he didn't drop the knife. Not that it was going to do him any good since the demon was holding him pressed against the wall. Fighting against the unseen power, he glanced at Bennett. The demon was grinning and walking toward her.

She wasn't hidden from it anymore.

* * *

**Wetumpka Hospital**

Dean had barely had time to register the oddity of the pale blue glowing before he realized he knew the face that was doing the glowing. Lindsey Adams' mother was...well, she wasn't Lindsey's mom anymore. Dean didn't know what she was now. Something was possessing her, but he'd never seen anything like it. He didn't have time to register anything else before he felt himself flung against the wall. His gun skittered somewhere under the bed as he was flung. Casey wound up against the wall a few feet away, her own gun sliding across the room to land under the window.

So not good, Dean would have shaken his head if he'd been able to turn it at all. But whatever it was that was possessing Mrs. Adams, it seemed to have the same propensity as every demon he'd ever met. They liked leaving their victims to hang on the wall like a fly on a spider web. He hated being the fly and he hated it even more than usual since he had no idea what he was dealing with. Apparently Dante hadn't either, because had he know, he probably wouldn't have gone anywhere near the blue glowy monster.

Has to be the plague.

Dante's eyes were bulging out of his head and Dean couldn't see any reason for that. Mrs. Adams wasn't even touching him. The demon's eyes began bleeding as he screamed. She just stood a foot behind him, face devoid of emotion, arms at her sides. Dante's lips spread in a rictus of agony and he let out an ungodly howl as his eyes exploded. Dean grimaced, then closed his eyes as the rest of Dante exploded in a horrible pop. Keeping his eyes squeezed shut, Dean tried not to vomit as he felt the splatter of...well, _Dante, l_and all over him.

A second after the warm wetness sprayed his face, Dean felt an ice coldness blow over him and he forced his eyes open to the terrifying sight of Mrs. Adams standing a foot in front of him. Her eyes were empty. Soulless. Her face beyond pale, it almost looked like...Dean blinked, no, her face _was_ melting. A shiver ran through him as she stood there silently staring at him. Then, abruptly, she turned and walked over to Casey.

Dean fought against the invisible force holding him to the wall. No luck, as usual. He didn't like the way Mrs. Adams was studying Casey. Didn't like it even more when she reached out a hand toward Casey. Dean shouted, "Hey, keep your nasty hands off of her!"

Mrs. Adams, no, not Mrs. Adams, Dean corrected himself. The monster that was possessing Mrs. Adams, turned to him, her eyebrows tightened into a frown, eyes impossibly wide. The monster opened Mrs. Adams' mouth and spoke in a voice that was the most evil thing Dean thought he'd ever heard. "Mine."

Dean locked eyes with Casey, saw fear and steel resolve reflected in her deep brown eyes. She was fighting against the invisible bonds as well, but not having any more luck than he was. Dean looked back at the monster and tried to keep her attention away from Casey. "Your what? Look lady, what exactly are you anyway?"

The melting face twisted into a grotesque smile, and that voice whispered, "_Pestis Pestis. Ring a ring o'roses, a pocket full of posies, ashes ashes, you all fall down._"

Dean exchanged a look with Casey. Not good. Not good at all. They'd come searching for the plague and they'd found it. He'd just hoped to be a bit more prepared before they met the monster. He said, "You're the plague?"

The monster smiled, "I am Pestis Pestis. I am death. My time has come. I have waited for centuries to find my maiden." It glanced over at Casey and said, "My life will be complete with my maiden."

Dean said, "She's not your maiden, sweetheart. The one you're looking for is somewhere else. And you're not getting that one either."

"She smells sweet." The monster whipped back around, nose almost to Dean's. "I must take my maiden. These vessels can not hold me long enough to allow me to use my full power. I will have her."

"No you won't." Dean shouted, straining hopelessly against the invisible bonds. He watched the plague demon's smile grow wider as he felt a warm wetness flow down his cheeks. Not tears. Blood. His head started to feel like it was being rolled over by a steamroller. He couldn't stop the scream of pain.

* * *

** _Boozer's Bar_**

"No!" Sam shouted as the demon knelt next to Bennett and ran a hand through her hair. "Leave her alone."

The demon looked up with a cruel smile. He said, "Why is it that humans always insist on saying stupid things like that? Why in the world would I listen to the pathetic maggot I have pinned to a wall?"

Sam clenched his jaw and tried to figure a way out of this mess. He didn't have any good ideas. The demon laughed at him and crouched down next to Bennett, pushing her onto her back. Her head lolled to the side, blood still streaming from her nose. The demon said, "Doesn't look so pretty, does she? Not what one would expect for a plague maiden."

"And what would one expect for a plague maiden?"

"Power. Strength. The plague maiden is a carrier for a powerful demon." He stood up and grinned. "That's why I'm going to get a great promotion. I found the carrier for Pestis. But first, I think I should enjoy this opportunity."

Sam swallowed hard and asked, "What opportunity?"

"The opportunity to do what no demon has done before. I'm going to skin a Winchester alive." The demon pulled Ruby's knife from Sam's hand. "And I'm going to do it with this lovely blade."

Fighting against the pressure holding him to the wall, Sam wasn't prepared for the demon to stab him in the side. It hadn't been a deep stab, but it hurt and he shouted in surprise and pain. The demon licked blood from the knife and said, "There's no rush, of course. We've got all day."

Sam tried to control his breathing as the demon taunted him. Dean would be calling to check in on him. Dean would get worried when he didn't answer. Dean would figure out where he went and...who was he kidding? There was no way in the world that anyone was going to find them in time. He braced himself for another blow when the demon abruptly stepped backwards, face growing fearful. Sam felt himself slide off the wall and he didn't hesitate in reaching out for the knife. Even as he yanked it from the demon's hand, the demon seemed to recover from its temporary lapse and growled in hatred. The demon came at him full force, but Sam drove the knife into its body before it could do anything else. The demon screamed and died as Sam drew a grateful breath.

Allowing the body to hit the floor, Sam pulled the knife out of the demon and ran to Bennett's side. She lay on her back, face turned toward him, eyes closed, breaths shallow and quick. He knelt next to her, "Bennett?" He gently pulled her into a sitting position, grateful to see her eyes flutter open. He smiled at her, "Hey, thanks. Thanks for saving my life."

She coughed and spat up some blood, then lay back against his chest in utter exhaustion. Sam put a hand to her neck. Her heart was beating far too fast, her skin felt like ice. He said, "We've gotta get out of here. You hang on, ok? Hang on."

Pulling her into his arms, he felt the sharp sting of pain in his side as he straightened up. He kicked the door open and headed to the car. Easing her onto the front seat, he pulled out his phone and ran around to the drivers side, holding his free hand against his side where the demon had stabbed him. The phone rang and rang as he got the car turned around and headed back toward town. It went to voicemail. Trying to imagine that Dean was merely busy flirting with Casey, Sam dialed 911 instead. Time for an anonymous tip about a mess at _Boozer's_ bar.

* * *

**Wetumpka Hospital**

Casey had never felt so helpless. She allowed Dean to draw the monster's attention from her because that allowed her time to look around and try to come up with a plan. Yeah, that had worked out well. She couldn't move. Couldn't do anything. Trying for the tenth time to peel herself off the wall, Casey watched in horror as Dean's eyes began to bleed. He writhed against the wall as the blood flowed faster and the monster began to laugh.

"No!" Casey screamed, fighting harder than she had ever fought.

_Not him. Please not him! s_he chanted. So many had already died. They were in a hospital. People were supposed to get well here. She saw that poor nurse's face, full of the hope that they would save her, only to be crushed when Dante had snapped her neck. And Lindsey Adams, and her poor mother, now possessed by the plague demon.

She couldn't let anyone else die. Least of all Dean. Screaming his name, Casey felt something break free within her and saw the nightstand fly across the room to bash into the monster. It fell forward onto its knees. Casey pulled forward and found herself able to climb off the wall. The nightstand lifted off the floor and slammed down onto the woman. Dean fell to the ground with a groan, curling in on himself.

Casey didn't know what was happening. She was in a complete fog. Her ears were ringing, her head pounded and she felt like she was on fire. Everything was happening all at once and in slow motion. The room shook and the pictures fell from the wall. She saw the lights brighten to solar flare level, then the room went dark for a moment, only to grow brighter still. Her breath rushed in and out of her chest as she walked toward the monster, feeling a power running through her veins unlike anything she had ever felt before in her life. The plague demon rose and flew at her with a scream that she couldn't hear.

Reaching out a hand, Casey caught the demon around the throat. The monster fought and there was no way she should have been able to withstand its attack. Deep down in the pit of her stomach, Casey felt growing panic. But her base instinct was focused on survival and whatever was happening to her, it only increased in strength. The monster choked and coughed and suddenly Mrs. Adams' body went completely limp and melted to the floor. The room exploded in a flash of blue and Casey watched, as if in a dream, as a blue smoke drifted up from Mrs. Adams' body. Casey reached out a hand and, not even knowing what she was doing, tried to grab the smoke. But it broke through the window and vanished into the night.

As soon as it disappeared, Casey felt the strength fade and she collapsed to her knees, cradling her head in her hands. She sobbed, in pain and confusion. Everything hurt and yet everything somehow felt right. What had just happened? Casey focused on the one thing that was most important. She looked up and tried to see if Dean was still alive.

* * *

Dean had been nearly unconscious when he'd been shocked back to full consciousness by a jarring fall to the floor. Grunting as he tried to regain his breath, he put a hand to his head and looked up. The room was shaking and the lights were flickering between extremely bright and very dark. And in the middle of the room, Casey had a hand around the throat of the monster. Dean watched in complete shock and confusion as Casey fought the demon. He put up a hand to shield his eyes as the room flashed in a bright blue. Tentatively, he looked up again to see the smoke vanish out a broken window.

He felt like he had the worst hangover ever and was shaking as he pushed himself upright, eyes on Casey. She had collapsed after the demon fled the scene. Her hands were around her head and he could hear her crying. Completely at a loss, Dean couldn't figure out any logical explanation for what had just happened, but he needed to get to her. Dragging himself closer, he sucked in a shocked breath when she looked up at him. Her eyes were glowing a steel grey more vivid than anything he'd ever seen. As he reached out a hand to brush the hair out of her face, he cupped her cheek with his other hand and watched as the frightening grey in her eyes faded. Finally, she was looking at him, her eyes again a dark brown; tears streaming down her cheeks. Dean moved closer and wrapped both arms around her, pulling her close against his chest. She was shaking, but relaxed against him and he let himself settle against the wall and close his eyes.

* * *

_So? What did you think? Y'all still with us? :) It gets better...or worse... Hope you will come back for more! As always, thank you for reading. :) _


	12. Chapter 12

_Hope you all survived the cliffy! Time to pick up a few of the pieces..._

* * *

**Wednesday 1830  
****Hospital  
****Wetumpka, AL**

_Casey looked around for him but could see nothing but the now familiar trees surrounding her. She needed to find him, but first she needed to live; which was kind of a funny thought given where she currently was. Shaking her head, Casey backed away from the wraith that was currently trying to kill her, wishing for the thousandth time she had some silver. Or a weapon of any kind. She tried to back away faster and only succeeded in tripping over her own feet and falling onto the ground._

_"This is it," she thought, cursing her stupidity, trying to catch her breath. She knew she didn't have time to roll away from the wraith. With the wraith poised to strike above her, Casey closed her eyes and tried to block out the terrible image and instead visualize a friendly face, _his_ face one last time before death took her. But death did not come. Casey opened her eyes to see, instead of the horrible face of the wraith, familiar bright green eyes and a dirty, scruffy face staring back at her. He pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arms tight around her._

_"Echo," he whispered in her ear._

_She melted into his embrace and found a quiet strength there._

The blare of an alarm jarred Casey back to the present. She was trapped, held tight. Unable to move, to breathe. Her entire body was on fire, every nerve ending screaming even as her head throbbed unbearably. For a moment, she panicked and fought back against the bonds that held her.

Too weak to fight against her bonds, Casey focused on sucking in desperate breaths and trying to reorient herself. A voice over a loudspeaker announced an emergency evacuation. Alarms continued to ring, the sound blending with terrified shouts and screams in the distance. Casey forced her eyes open, then squeezed them shut with a moan. The room was lit only by emergency generator lighting, but it was bright enough to send spikes of pain deep into her brain.

"Hey, you ok?" A familiar, deep voice asked softly.

Casey felt the bonds around her loosen and everything came back. She realized Dean Winchester was holding her like she was a scared child and suddenly, she was. Casey scrambled back from him, fighting against the fear she hadn't been able to shake even though it had been nearly a decade since she'd stolen the Mustang and ran away from the only relationship she'd ever had. She couldn't quite peel her eyes open or sit up straight, though, so it was a good thing Dean held onto her shoulders.

He asked, "Echo? You seem to want to go somewhere, but you're not exactly filling me with confidence with your abilities."

Casey huffed a laugh, knowing she was trembling under his touch and as unsteady as a newborn. Forcing her eyes open again, this time she found the light more tolerable and managed to focus on his face. His face that was covered in blood. Casey gasped, remembering the way the plague demon had killed Dante. She put a hand to his cheek and whispered hoarsely, "You look like crap."

"Nah," He shook his head with a smile, "I'm just bleeding is all. You look like crap. What just happened?"

She shrugged helplessly; it hurt too much to try to shake her head. Her nerves tingled and she felt feverish. Pulling at her collar, Casey stared at Dean as if he could tell her what had happened.

He studied her, then said, "Well whatever it was, it was scary awesome. You ok?"

Again she shrugged, then whispered, "We need to get out of here."

"Agreed." Dean nodded and easily pulled her to her feet. He pushed her gently back toward the bed and sat her down. He glanced at the patient in the bed and said, "Sorry, hope you don't mind."

The patient remained completely unresponsive. Casey looked over at the splattered mess of Dante all over the floor and the walls and threw up her dinner on top of the mess. Probably a good thing the patient was in a coma, she thought vaguely as she retched and coughed. Dean held onto her and kept her hair out of the way until she seemed like she'd thrown everything up, then tapped her on the shoulder, peering at her in concern.

"You gonna stay put?"

She gave him a thumbs up and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Ok, cuz I'm just gonna wash my face so I don't scare anybody. I don't need some nurse trying to stick a bandage on me." He turned to the bathroom and she heard him mutter, "Although the nurses around here are hotter than you'd expect in nowheresville."

Casey sat there and rolled her eyes, one hand bracing herself on the bed, the other unbuttoning a couple buttons on her shirt in a desperate attempt to cool herself down. She kept her eyes fixed on the horizon. Or, in this case, Dean's back. The throbbing in her head left her with a sensation that the entire room was pulsing. Her heart thudded as she tried to make sense of everything that had happened. She'd been pinned to a wall. Incapable of movement. Then, as if by magic, she'd been free and able to move objects just by thought alone. She shivered, remembering holding her hand to the plague demon's throat.

The power that had flooded her system had been completely terrible and unreal. And she had no explanation for it. People didn't just become powerful and telekinetic because they thought really hard. Casey was too scared to even try to imagine why it had happened to her.

"Do you still have your burner phone?" Dean's voice interrupted her thoughts. He walked out of the bathroom, face pale and worried. At least he'd cleaned up all the blood and didn't look like something out of a horror movie.

Casey cleared her throat and said, "Yes."

"I need to call Sam." He tilted his head as the evacuation order went out over the loudspeaker again. "And we need to get out of here. That thing could come back."

"I left my purse at the nurses station. My phone's in it." Casey said, letting him pull her off the bed.

"It's on our way out."

They took one step out the door of the hospital room and were met with a scene out of a post-apocalyptic nightmare. The emergency lights were flickering and a cacophony of alarms played all around them. Nurses and staff were scurrying about, and the hall was full of people in wheelchairs and beds. No one seemed to know where to go and, feeling completely overwhelmed, Casey almost slid to the ground. Would have, if Dean hadn't been holding her up. She knew how to handle fear. Fear was no stranger to her, but this, this was different. These were innocent people, many of which were dying because of Pestis and Dante.

Casey let it all wash over her as Dean pulled her without hesitation through the mess. He had an expression of singular determination on his face. His mission was getting her bag and getting out of there. Since most people were in the hall, it was relatively easy to get to her purse. Dean grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair and pointed her toward a staircase.

"Phone." He held out a hand, opening the door to the staircase.

Fumbling in her purse with badly shaking hands, Casey dropped a tube of lipstick and a pack of tissues before she found the phone. She wasn't going back for the items. Dean still had his hand on her arm which was probably good since she felt like she was swimming. Swimming in her own sweat. Dean had glanced at the phone. No signal. They made it down to ground level and had to wait a moment for an elderly couple to make it out the door. Casey stumbled over her own feet, then they were out the door into a parking lot overflowing with people, flashing lights, firetrucks and shouting. It was overwhelming. She couldn't even remember where she'd parked.

Dean seemed to know. He had the phone to his ear, hand still pulling her along toward the left edge of the lot. They'd exited from the back of the hospital and had to push through the crowds to get to the front.

"Sam?" There was no mistaking the relief in Dean's voice. "Yeah, we're alright. More or less. We ran into a garden variety demon and then Pestis itself showed up."

Casey wished she could hear the other side of the conversation. Dean's expression grew troubled and he said, "How long? Fine. We'll meet you at the motel. Yeah, you too."

Her Mustang appeared in front of her and Dean had a hand out. "Keys, Echo."

She frowned, wanting to protest, but she handed him the keys. The way she felt, all shaky and boiling hot, she wasn't up to driving. She just wanted to take an ice cold shower and sleep for a month.

* * *

**Wednesday 1900  
****Motel  
****Wetumpka, AL**

Dean heard the Impala and finally felt the last knot relax in his gut. Sam had told him, very briefly, that he and Bennett had been attacked by demons. Then he'd said they were about thirty minutes out from the motel and hung up. Sounded like they'd had as much fun as he and Casey had. Dean hadn't liked any of it, but there wasn't anything he could do except get Casey away from the hospital and worry about his brother and Bennett. Arriving at the motel safely, Casey had headed straight for the bathroom. She'd looked far from steady, but he hadn't been able to dissuade her from taking a shower. At least she'd consented to taking some aspirin for the headache and the fever. Her unexpected display of unexplainable power seemed to have freaked her out as much as it had freaked him out.

Shaking his head, Dean finished salting the window sill then headed for the door. Sam was already at the passenger side door of the Impala by the time Dean stepped outside. As he headed toward the car, Dean saw Sam straightened up, face twisting in a grimace of pain as he moved. Bennett was in his arms; her face and shirt yet again covered in blood. When he'd called earlier, Sam hadn't mentioned that either of them had been injured. Bennett's arm dangled limply and Dean wondered if Sam shouldn't have taken her straight to the hospital.

"Sam?" Dean asked, meeting him halfway. "How long has she been out?"

"She was talking to me until about ten minutes ago." Sam asked, his voice tight, face pinched with pain. "Can you grab that?"

"What?" Dean asked, still staring in concern at Bennett.

"Bag. Front seat."

Dean made it to the car, grabbed a plastic bag full of Gatorade bottles and reached the front door again before Sam had even arrived at the front step. Tossing the bag into a chair, Dean let Sam pass him, then took a careful look around outside, saw nothing out of the ordinary and breathed just a little easier. Dean slammed the door, locked it and made sure the salt line was intact before moving on to his other pressing issues. Sam lowered Bennett onto the closest bed then stumbled to the kitchenette for a towel.

Dean headed toward the bed where Bennett was trying, mostly unsuccessfully, to sit up. Dean eased her back down and checked her pulse. Too fast. She blinked drowsily at him, still shifting restlessly on the bed. Her breathing was shallow and quick. Shock. She'd already been in bad shape earlier. Again, he wondered if they shouldn't be heading to the hospital. Not that he wanted to go anywhere near the Wetumpka hospital after everything that had happened.

"You look whiter than the sheets." He said, reaching across Bennett for the extra pillows on the other side of the bed. "This isn't exactly the Ritz; they're kind of a yucky yellow."

"Ew." She whispered, her eyes sliding closed.

"Hey, hey. Stay awake..." Dean said firmly, lifting her legs up onto the stack of pillows. Her eyes popped open again and he said, "I'm going to go ahead and steal this one too, ok?"

Bennett nodded, eyes sliding closed as he pulled the pillow from behind her head and added it to the pillows under her legs. He shook her shoulder and she stirred again, shivering and looking up at him miserably. Yanking the comforter off the other bed and tossing it over her, he looked up as Sam approached, one hand pressed against his side.

"Here." Sam handed him a towel. "How is she?"

"Not good." Dean said, trying to clean off some of the blood on her face and neck. "In and out. What happened?"

"She saved my life." Sam said, walking across the room. Briefly he explained what had happened. "It was beyond anything she's done up to this point, Dean. She was painting them a picture and controlling them."

Dean watched as Bennett faded out again then he glanced back at Sam. He was sitting hunched over in the chair, going through the plastic bag. Dean asked, "What are you doing?"

Sam held up a bottle of Gatorade.

"You stopped at a store?" Dean asked, crossing the room and grabbing the bottle.

"I just ran into a gas station. Didn't have a lot of a choice. She's been bleeding all over the place so I figured we'd better start with some fluids again and see if we can avoid the hospital." Sam shrugged, hand still tightly pressed against his side.

"She keeps this up and we're not going to be able to avoid it much longer." Dean said, and headed back to Bennett's side. "Hey, you. Wakey, wakey." He gave her a little shake and she managed to get her eyes open again. He waved the Gatorade bottle in front of her eyes and said, "Time for a sip."

He lifted her head slightly and, after she took a few sips, set the bottle aside. Swallowing hard, she frowned and asked in a small voice, "What happened?"

"You used your magic powers. Saved Sam's life, so thanks for that." Dean smiled, "But I don't care what you sense, you are officially banned from using your freaky mojo, you hear me?"

Bennett nodded slowly.

"Good." Dean said, "You tell us if you sense something, but no painting pictures. I'm serious. You've overdone it today. We've got the room protected and we're in charge here. So you leave it to us. You're not up to anything else tonight. Or tomorrow. Or until I say different, in fact. Got it?"

She nodded again.

"Glad we've got that cleared up." He tucked the blanket over her shoulders, then turned around, ready to figure out how badly Sam was damaged. Dean asked, "What happened to you?"

"Ruby's knife." Sam grimaced.

"What?" Dean asked, pulling the other chair closer and pushing Sam back in the chair. "Let me see."

Sam kept his hand pressed against his side and said, "It's not that bad."

"Well, it's not that good either." Dean countered, able to see blood staining Sam's shirt. He tugged Sam's jacket aside and said, "Let go."

"Where's Casey?" Sam asked, finally moving his hand and looking wearily around the room.

"Shower." Dean answered, shaking his head, "This isn't exactly a scratch, you know. It needs stitches."

Sam sucked in a breath and said, "It could have been worse. He was just getting started." He quickly gave a recap of everything that had happened while Dean grabbed the med kit from his duffle bag. "They were looking for Bennett, just like she thought."

Dean cleaned around the wound and said, "Well, in other news, Pestis seemed to like the looks of Echo."

"Echo?" Sam asked with a tired smile.

"Uh, Casey." Dean said, then rolled his eyes at Sam's expression. "What?"

"It's just the way you say it. Like it's the nickname of an old friend or something."

"Whatever. I only do it cuz it bugs her." Dean said, that nagging feeling of deja vu hitting him again. He shook his head, "That Pestis, though, it was creepy, man. She said she'd been looking for centuries for her maiden."

He took his turn to catch Sam up on what had happened. While he explained what had happened to them at the hospital, he stitched up the knife wound. Finishing up with the freaky tale of Casey's transformation into some kind of superhero, Dean shook his head and met Sam's disbelieving stare. "I know, I know. I have no idea."

"Is she ok?" Sam asked, glancing at the bathroom door.

"I doubt it. She was pretty shaky afterwards." Dean felt fear knot his stomach again, remembering the scene at the hospital. "It scared her and she didn't have any idea how she'd done it."

Sam pressed a clean gauze against the wound and said, "I don't like any of this."

"Neither do I."

"Have you tried Cas again?"

Dean's expression darkened and he walked to the kitchenette to wash his hands. He said over his shoulder, "Apparently he's too busy reorganizing the angels."

"Great." Sam taped the gauze down, then looked back over at Bennett. She was either asleep or unconscious. "What are we going to do now?"

"What I want to do is get this town in the rearview." Dean said. He shook his head, sitting down next to Bennett again and reaching for the bottle of Gatorade. "But I don't think she's up to moving; and, regardless of what Casey might say, I don't think she's up to it either."

* * *

Casey held onto the edge of the sink with a death grip. Head bowed, entire body shaking, she tried to shut the images out of her mind. But she couldn't.

_As if fire ran through her veins, Casey burned from the inside out. Hand on her weapon, she destroyed the nearest Wendigo. Didn't matter how long it had been, a Wendigo always brought out the agony she tried to keep buried. The monster screamed then died bloody as she buried the blade deep inside its gut. From somewhere behind her she could hear the two men battling another Wendigo. It was unusual for the creatures to hunt in a pair, but then, everything was unusual here._

_"Echo!"_

_She turned, hearing his voice. Eyes blazing with the power that burned inside her, Casey ran forward realizing they were in trouble. There was no end to the misery, to the fighting, to the endless struggle. For a second, she felt hopelessness overcome her. Then he shot her that irrepressible grin of his and, even though he looked exhausted and soul-weary, she knew everything would be alright._

_Her lips twisted into a smile and she let the power flow through her as she ran toward them to rejoin the fight._

The memory left her gasping. Or maybe it was the aftereffects of whatever she had gone through at the hospital. A chill ran through her and she felt herself shaking even harder. What had she done? What was she? She'd saved Dean's life, and her own, but what did that make her? Couldn't explain it. The haunting memory, undefined and unclear, did nothing to lessen her fears. It was as if she had lived another life.

Raising her head, Casey stared at herself in the mirror. Another life. Everything she thought she knew seemed to be fading into blackness. What am I? Tears were running down her cheeks as she met her own conflicted eyes in the mirror. If she hadn't been so upset, feeling so lousy, and so completely confused, she probably would have been a whole lot more horrified at how absolutely grotesque she looked. Eyes bloodshot and watery, face pale except for the blush of fever, nose runny, Casey could barely stand to look at herself.

Scrubbing the back of her hand under her nose, Casey heard voices from beyond the door and knew that Sam and Bennett had arrived. She reached for another towel and wrapped it around her hair. Dean hadn't said much about what had happened to the others, he hadn't gotten a lot of info from Sam, and she had been pretty out of it when he'd been telling her anyway. But it sounded like she and Dean hadn't been the only ones to run into trouble. Casey thought about Bennett and felt a chill run down her spine when she remembered the confrontation with Pestis. The monster they all assumed was hunting Bennett had seemed frighteningly interested in her. Made no sense. None of it did. Casey pulled her clothes out of her bag and hoped she could stay upright long enough to get dressed.

All she knew for sure was that she didn't want that monster to go anywhere near Bennett. And she didn't want to be anywhere near it again either. She shivered despite the fact that she felt like she was still on fire. The aspirin Dean had made her take earlier had done little for the headache and probably even less for the fever.

_What's wrong with me?_

* * *

"Ok. So we stay here for the night?" Sam asked, downing a couple painkillers. "You don't think that thing is going to come hunt us down?"

Dean shrugged. "I don't know anything for sure. It wouldn't surprise me if it did, but I'm hoping that whatever Casey did to it has made it think twice about coming to tangle with us again."

Sam nodded just as the bathroom door opened. Dean looked up as Casey stepped out, one hand braced against the door jamb. Her hair twisted up in a wet bun; wearing a pair of yoga pants and a loose t-shirt, she looked like all she wanted was to crash for the night. She'd put on a pair of glasses and on her feet, she had on the most ridiculous pair of fluffy, furry boots he'd ever seen. Eyes widening, he couldn't help himself.

He asked, "What did you do, Echo? Skin a Wookie for those boots?"

She glared at him and glanced down at her boots. "They're cozy."

"They're ridiculous," he mused.

Casey shot him a tired glare and said, "Bite me."

He smiled, thinking she looked a little less terrified than she had earlier. She still looked lost, though, and he couldn't blame her. Her entire life had been turned upside down in an instant. He asked gently, "How're you doing?"

"Fine. Better, I guess." She said, leaning against the door jamb. Her expression grew concerned as she caught sight of Bennett. "What happened?"

"She went up against a room full of demons." Dean said, then glanced down at Bennett. Face lax and still without any color, her breathing had evened out and at least she wasn't shivering any more. He said, "She's gonna be fine."

Casey didn't look convinced, but nodded and sat down on the other bed. "Now what?"

It was probably only because she was still not feeling 100% that she asked that question, Dean figured. Casey Economou hadn't been much for collaboration at first, but now she just looked like she was waiting for someone to tell her what to do. So Dean asked, "Do you like pizza?"

"Pizza?" Casey stared at him as if he'd asked her if she liked roasted goat's head.

He nodded, "You know. Crust, sauce, cheese, pepperoni, more cheese?"

Casey just continued to stare at him. Dean was about to go on, but was interrupted by Bennett. He'd thought she had been asleep, but now she tilted her head so she could see Casey. Her voice was soft, but sincere, "Death likes pizza."

Dean snickered, "Yes, he does."

"Pizza?" Casey repeated, then looked even more confused. "Death?"

"Yeah, Death." Dean said, "Basically, the only reason you still live in Chicago is because Death liked the pizza."

Casey blew out a slow breath, clearly both exhausted and confused. "You're going to order pizza?"

"I'm hungry. We all need to eat and get some rest." Dean grew serious, glancing at each member of his little team. Not one of them looked up to moving. His head was still pounding and he wanted nothing more than to take a nice long nap. "We eat, we figure out where we're going from here, we get some sleep."

Sam nodded and pulled out his phone to look up a pizza place. Casey shrugged and leaned against the headboard, hugging a pillow and staring at the ugly green carpet. Grateful that everyone seemed to be agreeing to his plan, Dean glanced down at a tap on his wrist. Bennett was looking a little more lively. Which basically meant she looked like death warmed over instead of just looking like death.

She asked, "Can I take a shower?"

"Nope." Dean shook his head. "You're not going anywhere tonight."

Her face twisted into a pout and she tugged weakly at her bloody shirt. "I feel gross."

"Tough. I don't think you can even sit up without passing out right now." Dean said. "We'll get you cleaned up a bit more, though, how's that sound? You kind of look like an extra from Carrie."

Dean grinned when he heard three simultaneous snickers. It was nice knowing everyone appreciated his humor.

* * *

**Early the next morning...**

"Dean."

He tried to find the source of the voice. It was everywhere and nowhere all at once. Dean was in the middle of a bright field. It was deserted. Just a field. No trees. No flowers.

"Dean. Listen."

Turning, he saw nothing but sky and grass. He had no idea where he was, but, oddly enough, he wasn't worried. It was peaceful. Dean looked down and realized he was sitting on the hood of the Impala. Good.

"You need to come outside." The voice went on. It was starting to sound familiar.

Dean looked around again. The familiar voice was being frustratingly enigmatic. He asked, "Where are you?"

"Outside."

"I am outside." Dean said.

"You're dreaming. You need to wake up and come outside, Dean."

"Cas?" Dean finally recognized the voice. "What's going on?"

"Dean. I can't talk to you inside. You need to wake up now."

Dean sat up with a gasp. His heart was thudding and he blinked, trying to get his bearings in the darkened room. Everything was quiet. He looked over at the other bed, instinctively searching in the darkness for Casey. She'd crashed next to Bennett and both of them were sleeping soundly. A glance at the clock showed it was almost one in the morning. He rubbed at his eyes, trying to decide if the dream had been real or not.

"Dean?" The whisper belonged to Sam, not Castiel. "You alright?"

He nodded, not sure Sam could even see the motion in the dark. He slid off the bed and pulled his boots back on. Dean crossed the room to where Sam sat on guard by the window. They'd decided the best thing was to take turns on watch during the night. He could just make out Sam's questioning glance in the pale light filtering in from outside.

"What's going on?" Sam asked.

"Cas."

"What?"

"I was dreaming." Dean said, pulling on his jacket and accepting his gun from Sam. "He told me to wake up, that he needed to talk to me."

Sam pushed himself to his feet, "Where is he?"

"Outside." He slid the curtain aside slightly. Saw a trenchcoat across the parking lot. Cas.

"Why doesn't he come in?" Sam asked, glancing out the window.

Dean shrugged, "Said he couldn't. Look, just keep an eye out, ok. I'll be right back."

"Be careful."

Wondering why it was that Cas couldn't just knock on a door like a normal person once in awhile, Dean opened the door and stepped out into the crisp morning air. It was chilly and did wonders for waking him up a bit more. His senses hyperactive, he scoped out the area carefully as he crossed the parking lot. Cas was alone and stepped forward as he approached. Dean didn't even have time for pleasantries. Cas wore his extremely concerned expression. The one he wore just about as often as he wore his extremely confused expression.

So it's bad news, then, Dean shook his head. _Of course it is._

Cas practically ran to meet him and said, "You have to leave. You have to leave right now and get as far away from this place as possible."

"Whoa, hold up, Cas." Dean said, allowing some frustration to come through in his voice. "You've been AWOL for days, and now you just show up and…"

"Get out of here, Dean." Cas grabbed his shoulder. "None of you are safe. I'll do what I can, but you need to go. Keep her safe."

The angel was gone before Dean could say another word. What wasn't gone was the feeling of absolute dread in his heart. The dread in his heart, and the inexplicable realization that Cas meant Casey Economou. Keep her safe. The need to protect her went beyond just taking care of another person. He did that all the time. But Cas' words had stirred up something inside him that he couldn't possibly explain. He turned and ran as fast as he could back to the motel room.

Back to Casey.

* * *

_What do you think? Any guesses as to how Dean and Casey know each other? Guesses as to what happened to Casey at the hospital? Would love to hear from you! Thank you for reading. :) _


	13. Chapter 13

_One mystery will be mostly resolved in this chapter... Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

**Thursday 0100  
****Motel  
****Wetumpka, AL**

Sam watched Dean go meet Cas. He didn't like it. Didn't like that Cas was communicating through dreams instead of just coming to meet them. Didn't like that Dean was out there in the dark alone. He kept his eye on his brother until he heard someone shift behind him. Reluctantly turning around, Sam saw Casey sit up, eyes bleary, hair a mess.

She glanced at the other bed, noticed Dean's absence and frowned, "Trouble?"

Obviously she had the hunter's sixth sense.

Sam shrugged and said softly, "Not sure."

Casey pulled on her glasses and rolled off the bed, standing up unsteadily. She still felt feverish and wavered as she crossed the room. Sam steadied her with a gentle touch to her back as she stood next to him. Casey smiled up at him. _Way up_. She said, "You are really tall, Sam Winchester."

He smiled down at her. "It wouldn't be polite to say that you're really short, Casey Economou."

"No it wouldn't. I'll have you know I'm about average height for a woman." She grinned, then glanced out the window. "Who's Deano talking to out there?"

Sam followed her gaze. "A friend. Castiel." He looked back at her, "Why do you call him that? Deano."

Casey frowned, feeling like the reason was on the tip of her tongue, then it vanished. She shrugged, "I don't know. Just seemed right."

"You say it like you've known him…" Sam broke off as he saw Cas disappear.

The instant Cas disappeared, Dean's back stiffened, then he turned and started running back to the motel room. His hands were motioning frantically and Sam immediately grabbed the duffle bag and packed up the few things they had sitting around. Time to get out of Dodge. They'd left almost everything packed the night before so they could be ready at a moment's notice. Whatever Cas had said to Dean, it hadn't been good.

Sam met Casey's gaze, "We're leaving."

"I'll get dressed." She grabbed her bag. Stopping by the bed, she shook Bennett until she woke up, then Casey headed to the bathroom to throw on her clothes. She slammed the bathroom door the same moment Dean came through the front door.

He looked at Sam, "We gotta go."

"I figured." Sam nodded, grabbing his laptop bag. "What's going on?"

"Cas was his usual helpful self." Dean muttered, looking at the bed. _Where was she_? "Just told me to get the heck out of here. We're heading north, fast as we can. Where's Echo?"

"Getting dressed." Sam said, "I'll load the gear."

"Carefully. I don't know what's going on." Dean cautioned as Sam went outside, gun at the ready. Dean headed for the bed where Bennett was lying on her side, her legs hanging off the bed as she awkwardly trying to pull her boots on without sitting up. She'd managed to sit up for awhile the evening before; if you counted head on two pillows sitting up. Apparently she wasn't feeling much better. He leaned down, yanked her boots on and lifted her legs back onto the bed. Pointing a finger in her face he said sternly, "Stay."

Bennett nodded, rubbing her eyes and Dean headed for the bathroom, hearing the unmistakable sound of someone being very sick. He knocked on the door, "Echo? We gotta go."

A few minutes later, she pulled the door open. Casey looked like a wreck, but was dressed, bag slung over her shoulder. Dean grabbed her arm when she leaned against the doorframe. He still had her keys in his pocket and there was no way she was driving. That much was clear. She stumbled with every step she took and, ignoring her sudden protest, Dean picked her up bridal style, backpack and all, ignoring her squeal of protest. Cas had been deathly serious. Dean wanted to be so far gone from Wetumpka it wasn't even funny. He passed Sam on the way out.

"Grab Bennett and then follow us." Dean said, heading for the Mustang.

"You want me to drive Casey's car?" Sam called out.

Dean stood Casey up against the side of the car and yanked the door open. He said over his shoulder, "You wouldn't even fit. Just get a move on."

"I can drive my own car." Casey muttered irritably as he pushed her into the passenger seat.

He shook his head, "Not happening. Besides. You and me? We need to talk."

"Oh goodie," Casey replied, her voice tired.

Dean pulled out the keys, taking a quick look around the parking lot. No one, nothing. It was quiet and deserted. Still, he felt like he was being watched and all he could hope was that it was Cas and not something else. C_uz that just makes it so much less creepy._..he thought, getting behind the wheel of the Mustang. He started up the engine, looking over his shoulder impatiently. What on earth was taking Sam so everlastingly long?

"What happened?" Casey looked at him. "Why are we leaving? Did you see something?"

"Got a tip from a friend." Dean said without elaborating, finally seeing Sam helping Bennett into the Impala. A moment later and he heard the engine start up. He hit the gas pedal.

* * *

They'd been on the road for almost an hour. I-65 was practically deserted, making for easy travel. It had been a completely quiet ride so far. Sam glanced over at Bennett. She'd insisted on sitting in the front seat even though he'd tried to get her to lay down in the back. Now, she was basically slumped so far down in the seat that she couldn't see over the dash. Her head was against the door, tilted so she was staring at him. Everything about her screamed discomfort.

He checked out the front windshield and realized Dean was pulling ahead. Pushing the gas pedal, Sam realized Dean had been serious when he'd said they were getting out of town as fast as they could. The Impala was having no trouble keeping up with Casey's Mustang, but Sam was just praying there were no cops out tonight or they'd all be in trouble. He nudged the gas some more as the taillights ahead of him grew just a bit smaller. Whatever was going on it had Dean shaken and that made Sam nervous.

When his phone rang, he realized exactly how shot his nerves actually were. His heart pounded and he had to do a quick correction with the wheel to keep the Impala on the road. Blowing out a breath, he reached for his phone and answered, "Yeah?"

"Sam?" It was Jody.

"Hey, Jody. You're up late...or early, I guess."

"So are you. I tried calling Dean…"

"Phone got smashed by a demon."

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah." He gave her a quick synopsis of what had happened since last they'd spoken. "So we're headed north."

Jody asked, "And this Dr. Economou, she's helping you?"

"We're one big happy family." He said, "Honestly, at this point, we haven't really had time to even discuss the terms of our partnership. We've just been going full speed ahead."

"Ok. Are you sure you can trust her?"

Sam stared ahead at the taillights of the Mustang. He sighed, "Hope so. I don't know. There's something just a bit...off about her. And Dean. He's been acting weird. Like, I don't know, at times I almost think he thinks he knows her. Like they've met before. But then, on the other hand they act like they can't figure each other out at all. It's just weird, Jody."

"I see your weird and raise you some extra freaky." Jody said.

Sam smiled, "Oh good, because that's just what we need in our lives right now."

"Mmhm. I know it. So, I've been doing my research like the good little hunter's assistant I am."

"Hunter's assistant? Nice title."

"Gonna get it on a business card." Jody said, a smile in her voice. "I've been digging and think I know who Bennett is."

Sam glanced at the girl. She was still staring at him, but she looked half asleep. He tried to look casual as he switched the phone to his left ear. "What have you got?"

"I kept digging into any plague victims in the US. Like I said, it's pretty rare. According to the CDC, only about 7 to 20 people are infected each year. And it's usually the bubonic form, rather than the septicemic or pneumonic form. I wasn't coming up with anything until I found this one case that was unusual."

"Unusual how?"

"First of all, the victim died." Jody said. "Most of the time, although not every time, victims recover with antibiotics. But this victim died of some kind of a mutant form of the plague. She had symptoms of all three forms. And it was beyond virulent. It was like nothing the doctors had ever seen."

"Bennett?" Sam asked, then realized he shouldn't have used her name. He felt the intensity of her questioning stare.

"No. Her mother. Melinda Prentiss. And Bennett's name is Jaina."

Sam kept his eyes focused on the road. He couldn't look at Bennett right now. Driving down the road at this kind of speed, now was not the time to break this kind of news to her. He said, "Go on."

"It happened in 1998. From the records, I pieced together a basic outline of what happened. The Prentiss family were from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Thomas Prentiss was from a wealthy family in the furniture business. Melinda and Jaina were vacationing at this resort island up north. Mackinac Island. It's basically smack between Michigan and Canada. Famous for its fudge and the fact there are no cars allowed on the island. Horses or bikes only. Anyway, they were vacationing there in their summer cottage."

"What happened?"

Jody sighed, "Her mom got infected. That's the part where it's not very clear. Maybe Jaina knows, knew, but I couldn't come up with anything in the records. Just that Melinda got sick, the doctors on the island thought it was the flu at first, then realized how wrong they were. Melinda didn't last a day. It's weird all around, Sam. The plague isn't common in the north. It's typically found in the southwest of the US."

"And it wasn't the typical presentation."

"Not at all. Although, from what I'm seeing in the news…"

Sam nodded, "This plague is the same way. People are dying rapidly and of something different from the typical plague."

Jody agreed, "Exactly. So Melinda died on the island before they could get her to a better medical facility. They tested Jaina and couldn't explain it, but she apparently was immune. Sam, she didn't die of the plague."

"Ok." Sam waited for her to go on.

"Here's where it gets extra freaky." Jody said, "Everything up to this point has been only interesting."

"Great."

"The rest is just some stuff I managed to dig up on the family after I found Melinda. After she died, it looks like Thomas went a bit out of his head."

"I bet."

"Crazy, scary out of his head, Sam. I mean, he was known as an angry drunk. There'd been suspicion that he beat Melinda, but no one could confirm it. He'd always been the pillar of the community when in public. From the few friends and extended family who would talk to me, after Melinda's death he went really dark side."

"How dark?" Sam asked, already not liking where this was heading.

"Occult dark. They said he turned into a drunken mess and started looking for, well, supernatural ways of...of getting Melinda back." Jody hesitated, "I don't know exactly what he did. But one of his business partners said he turned against Jaina. Thought it was somehow her fault that Melinda died."

"Because she was immune and didn't die." Sam supplied, feeling sick to his stomach.

"Yes. He shut her out of his life. Left her alone for days at a time while he went off doing who knew what. Then Jaina disappeared. To this day, she's still listed as a missing person. Two days after she disappeared," Jody's voice grew grim, "An anonymous plot was dug in a cemetery in Bennett, South Dakota."

Sam gripped the steering wheel tighter.

"The same day Jaina Prentiss disappeared, someone reported seeing Melinda with Thomas. Swore to it. Thomas withdrew to his mansion in Grand Rapids. He was like a hermit and the one person he kept on his staff said that Melinda had come back from the dead."

"You think it was a spirit?" Sam asked.

"No, I think it was Melinda Prentiss." Jody said, "Because less than a week after Jaina disappeared, this same lady, she was like his secretary and housekeeper, she walked into the house to hear Thomas shouting in a drunken rage. She reported hearing Melinda screaming at him something about how could he kill their daughter. Then, the housekeeper got close enough to see Thomas hit Melinda. Broke her neck with one blow."

"What?"

"Yeah. The housekeeper ran for her life. Too scared to do anything, to call the police even. She's still in a mental institution."

"I don't blame her. What else?"

Jody said, "It was another couple weeks before anyone ended up going out to the house. They found both of them. Dead. Thomas drank himself to death."

"Crap." Sam said.

"And then some." Jody agreed. "It reads like something out of a King thriller, or Poe. So my question is, what are you boys going to do about all of this insanity?"

"Figure it out. As usual."

"You gonna tell her?"

Sam didn't want to. Not at all. Bennett didn't remember any of it. The last thing he wanted to do was bring back such horrible memories. But he knew he had to tell her. He said, "Yes."

"Hope that goes well." Jody didn't sound like she thought it would.

"Yeah, me too."

"Ok, well I'm on call tonight, and I just got a call, so I need to run. Just wanted to let you know what I found out. Stay safe."

"Thanks, Jody."

* * *

"An angel?" Casey looked skeptical. "You have a buddy who's an angel?"

Dean shrugged, "Pretty much."

"Well that's certainly interesting." She said, "I bet he comes in handy in a fight."

"Actually...You know, never mind. He's got his good points and his less good points, same as the rest of us. Cas tends to skimp on the details, though."

"Like when he says get out of town at 1 AM and doesn't bother to tell you why?" Casey laughed. She still had a lingering headache and she'd peeled her jacket off as soon as she'd gotten in the car. Her window was half down, but the cool air wasn't helping much. It still felt like she was on fire from the inside out.

Dean nodded, watching the rearview mirror to ensure Sam was keeping up. He didn't like it when there was too much of a distance between them. He glanced at Casey, glad she seemed to be looking a bit more with it. He said, "I figure he'll find us again and catch us up. He said he was going to do what he could to keep us safe."

"You trust him."

"I do." He shrugged, considering her words. Didn't matter what Cas had done in the past, didn't matter how often he had lied to them or misled them, Dean knew that deep down, Cas was on their side. He said, "I guess he's screwed up about as much as the rest of us, but yeah, I trust him."

For a few minutes, they were silent. Dean rubbed a hand over his eyes and refocused on the road ahead. He'd taken first watch and Sam had relieved him just before midnight. An hour of sleep wasn't much. Cas' abrupt arrival and instructions to leave town worried him. Bennett worried him and, after she turned into superwoman at the hospital, _Casey_ worried him. Times like these, he wanted so badly to call Bobby. He missed him. Missed having someone else out there in the dark world who knew what it was like. Someone who had his back. Someone he could count on to try to find an answer to the questions that stumped him and Sam. He sighed. This time they were going to have to do what they used to.

Figure it out on their own.

Casey reached for a water bottle, took a drink then said, "I gotta ask you something, Deano."

"Shoot." He said, habitually checking for the Impala's headlights.

"You ever get this weird feeling we've met before?" Her voice was as uncertain as her expression.

Dean nodded and said quickly, "Yeah, Chicago. When you were a history professor."

"Funny. I mean it." Her mind was muddled; a mess. She felt sticky and hot and miserable like something was cooking her alive. All the same, she couldn't stop thinking about it. There was something strange...about how she just felt safe with Dean. Casey had never been a trusting person in general; especially with men. And while she had been trying to deny it for days now, she couldn't ignore it any longer. She went on, "So you haven't had any weird feelings? Feelings like you remember me from somewhere and just can't quite place where?"

"I have a pretty good memory. I think I'd remember you, Echo." He smirked, but it was to hide the uncertainty he felt. He just didn't like that she was picking up on it. But if she felt the same way? Maybe there was something more to it. Something more to those dreams, the sense of _deja vu_ that hit him at times. The way he called her Echo…

She shook her head. "You're lying."

"Oh? Oh, right, cuz you know me that well. Somehow. Mysteriously. From another life?"

"Yes." Her voice was completely certain.

Dean glanced at her in surprise. "You're serious."

"I am. I've been, I mean, I've had these…"

"Visions? Memories?"

She nodded. "So you have too. Why can't I remember how I know you?"

Dean tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He felt something twist in his gut. Something dark, out of place. A lost memory so close to the surface, but out of reach.

_Dark. Grey. Trees._

_Cas on the ground, bleeding. Trying to stop the blood, trying to hold him together. He hadn't been right since they'd ended up here. Cas reached out, hand on his arm, eyes pleading with him. "Just go, Dean."_

_"Cas, shut up. All your energy needs to be focused on getting back onto your feet, you hear me?" Dean said, tightening the makeshift bandage around the gash on Cas' forearm. The Wendigo had almost sliced his arm off. It bled terribly and was unlikely to heal, but Dean wasn't giving up on anybody._

_"Please." Cas looked close to unconsciousness, "I can't…"_

_"I swear, for an angel, you are awfully whiny sometimes, Cas. Give it up. We're not leaving you." Dean said, looking up as someone walked toward them. She was covered in grime and blood and had that look of annoyance on her face that he loved._

_She said with a roll of her eyes, "I do not have time for your little chick flick moment, can we get moving before we get eaten, please?"_

Dean shook himself out of his reverie. He frowned. Casey was silent, looking pensive, as if she were lost in a memory as he himself had just been. Dean glanced back in the rear-view mirror and, with a sick feeling in his gut, realized the Impala was no longer behind them.

* * *

"Hey, you're supposed to be drinking that." Sam said, watching Bennett fiddle with the bottle of Gatorade he'd just handed her.

She was sitting up a bit straighter, head still leaned against the door. She said, "You know how disgusting this stuff is?"

"Actually, yeah I do. Drink it."

"You practically bought every bottle on the shelf didn't you?" She glared at him, "How many bottles have you already made me drink since last night? I'm sick of it."

Sam smiled slightly, "Well it must be working because you're starting to whine. You weren't even up to that earlier. Drink it."

"I really think I've had enough."

"Yeah? You were in shock. Blood loss. Ringing a bell? You need the ladies room yet?"

She frowned at him, "What? No. I'm fine."

"Which means you're still dehydrated." Sam said, "Drink. The. Gatorade."

"You suck." Bennett griped. She struggled with the lid till she was breathless, then helplessly handed it to Sam.

He twisted the cap off and gave it back. She sipped at it anemically, face contorted in disgust. Sam wished they'd stopped for coffee. The tail lights and headlights of the cars on the highway blurred and he struggled to remain focused. And he'd managed more sleep than Dean had. One more hour. Then he was ordering a coffee stop. They didn't need for one, or both, of them to end up in a ditch.

Bennett's soft voice interrupted his thoughts. "Are you going to tell me about the phone call? I mean, I know you don't owe me anything. I'm just sort of your extra baggage on this. But it...it seemed like it was about me."

It had been about a half hour since Jody's call and Sam had hoped Bennett wouldn't bring it up. He wanted to talk to Dean first. Didn't want to break the news to her while they were driving. Didn't want to break the news at all, actually. Telling a girl that her dad must have found a way, most likely a crossroads deal, to bring her mom back from the grave was one thing. Telling her that the action most likely had been what had sent her to hell as a teenager was something else entirely. Bennett had clearly blocked all of her memories. What was it going to do to her to have all of that brought up again?

Sam glanced at her and said, "Bennett, you're not extra baggage, ok? We want to help you. You helped Bobby and that means a lot to us. To me."

Her dark eyes were sad as she said, "Look, like I told you a long time ago now. I know something bad happened to me. I think I'm about as prepared as anyone can get for whatever it is your friend figured out about me."

"Bennett…" Sam started, then hesitated. "I think it might be better to wait."

"I think you should just spit it out." She countered, a suddenly wicked smile on her face. "Remember, you're talking to the girl who made three demons think they were being tortured. Imagine what I could do to you."

Sam looked at her sharply. "I thought you were going to leave me out of your visions."

"Tell me what I want to know and I might leave you alone. Otherwise, I can give you a nice headache. Don't think I won't." She sat up a bit more, even though it looked like it took a lot of effort to do so. "I'm not sure I like you that much anyway."

"Yeah? You can get a t-shirt. There's a club." Sam grinned, then almost immediately his grin faded as he saw twin tail lights blink twice in the darkness ahead of him.

He slowed and was reaching for his cell phone when he saw flashing lights far ahead. Bad accident? A police cruiser sat angled on the road and Sam could see an officer waving a flashlight, guiding traffic onto the exit ramp. He eased off on the gas and followed Dean and a pickup truck off the highway. Orange cones were set up along with a detour sign leading down County Highway N.

"Sam."

Something in her voice...Sam looked over at Bennett. Wide eyed with fear she was sitting straight up, one hand suddenly squeezing his arm. She shook her head. "Sam, don't, don't stop! Please."

"Bennett? What is it?"

"Demons."

* * *

_Mwhahaha! They just can't catch a break, can they? Hope you will stay tuned for the next chapter! Thank you for reading. :) _


	14. Chapter 14

_Sorry about the cliffhanger...no wait, I'm not really lol! A BIG thank you to everyone who has been reading...and those who have been so kind as to review. It means the world to us and we are seriously geeking out with every review we get. :D Hope you will all enjoy this chapter! _

* * *

**Thursday 0223 **  
**I-65**  
**Somewhere North of Athens, AL**

Dean fought the urge to slam on the breaks. The highway was deserted, but at the speed he was travelling, well, he decided a more gradual easing off of the gas would be advisable. He stared in complete shock in the rearview mirror. No trick of the imagination, the Impala was no longer behind them.

"Deano, what's going on?" Casey asked, apparently having snapped out of her own trance. "Why are you slowing down?"

"Call Sam." He ordered, pulling onto an emergency vehicle only turnaround. "Call him right now. They're not behind us."

Casey yanked her burner phone out as Dean floored it and took them flying in the opposite direction. She dialed Sam's number, praying he'd pick up. Dean had a terrifying stillness to him. He looked more dangerous now, completely motionless and quiet, than he had when she'd seen him in action. Her heart pounded in relief when she heard Sam's voice.

"Sam, hey where are you?" She asked, watching Dean relax ever so slightly as he realized she was talking to Sam. "What? Hang on."

Dean reached out a hand and took the phone, "Sammy, what the…"

"Dean, we've got a demon problem." Sam interrupted.

"Where are you?"

"I don't know, there was a road block, an accident maybe. Dude, I followed you off the exit ramp!"

Dean didn't like this at all. "No you didn't. I never got off the highway." The sick feeling hit him that there was no way to know how long they had actually been separated. The demons had made Sam think he was following Dean, and Dean had been watching the Impala's headlights in his rearview mirror all along until they'd disappeared only moments ago. "What exit?"

"27." Sam said, "East on Lynnville Highway."

Crap! They were a good twenty miles apart. Dean said, "You back on I-65?"

"No. Can't."

Dean could hear the roar of the Impala in the background. "Where are you?"

"Red Nix road. We've got demons on our tail and they're setting up roadblocks, Dean. Don't have a choice on my route."

"Alright, alright. I'm on my way back to you. Keep her out of the ditches, you hear me? I don't need to have to deal with any dents…"  
"No dents, got it."

Dean heard the tension in Sam's voice. Not good, not good. He heard Sam curse, then heard a thud that sounded suspiciously like the phone had just been dropped. Dean cringed at the sound of squealing tires, terrified he was going to hear an awful crash afterwards. Thankfully, there was no crash. Not yet.

"Sam?" No answer. Dean glanced at Casey. She looked worried and like she was running a fever. Had she been that sweaty the entire trip? He couldn't remember. He flew past a lumbering semi and shouted louder into the phone, "Sam!"

* * *

Sam heard Dean's shout, but he needed both hands on the wheel and Bennett was hanging on for dear life so Dean was just going to have to hold on a second. The phone bounced on the seat between them as he watched one of the pick-up trucks pull up close enough on his bumper that he expected an impact. Dean would kill him if he got the Impala smashed. Again. He shook his head and gritted his teeth, looking for an escape route. He didn't have many options given that he had trucks driven by demons nipping at his bumper. One on each side.

"Sam, I can…"

"No." He interrupted her sharply. "Absolutely not."

Bennett grimaced as they bounced over yet another pothole. "We are going to get killed if you don't let me do something."

Sam swerved as the truck on his right inched closer. No dents. All one of the trucks had to do was give the bumper a strong tap and dents would be the least of their worries. He said, "You aren't strong enough, Bennett. Just sit tight."

He'd barely finished speaking when both of the trucks abruptly turned away from the road, bumping into the empty fields. Even as he watched, both trucks flew into the air, overturning and rolling. Sam frowned, glancing immediately at Bennett. She looked at him in confusion and shook her head.

"It wasn't me."

Sam slowed the car a bit, uncomfortable with the development. Not that he wasn't glad the demons were off his tail, he couldn't help but be nervous as to why exactly they had suddenly taken a spin in a field. He started looking for a place to turn around, a way back to the highway. Eyes focused on the rearview mirror, his hand fumbled for the phone. He could hear Dean shouting his name.

"Dean, hey, stop yelling."

"What took you so long?"

"A bit busy with that demon problem, remember?"

"Yeah, how's it going? We're almost to the exit."

Sam found a wide enough spot to turn around and said, "They're gone. Not sure what happened, but I'm not sticking around to ask questions."

Dean asked, "You heading back to the interstate?"

"Working on it."

"Good. Don't hang up."

"Wasn't planning on it."

* * *

**Thursday 0330 **  
**Motel **  
**Lewisburg, TN**

Dean felt like his eyeballs were burning. Overheated marbles in his head. They felt hot and sticky and scratchy. He needed sleep. Needed it bad. They'd found a halfway decent looking motel in Lewisburg, Tennessee. Trying to get as far away from the demons was one thing, but when they both started weaving onto the shoulder of the highway, Dean had called Sam and told him it was time to get off the road.

He slammed the trunk and shouldered his bag, turning to the motel room. He'd come back out for the last of their supplies and left Sam inside with the girls. Halfway to the door, he heard a scream from inside their room and his heart dropped to his stomach. Casey didn't scream. And with Sam in there, there should have been no reason for her to be screaming.

Dean ran through the door, gun in hand, eyes darting wildly around the room in his haste to find out what was killing Casey. His jaw dropped. Casey was standing on one of the beds, hand pointing across the room.

She screamed, "Kill it! Just kill it!"

Dean stared at her, his sluggish brain having a difficult time with the image of seasoned hunter, huntress, Casey Economou standing on a bed screaming. He let his eyes wander past her to where Sam stood in the doorway of the bathroom, an exhausted and confused expression on his face, toothbrush in his mouth, hands holding his gun as he searched for the threat. Bennett was hovering over in the general area where Casey was pointing. She was looking intently at something on the wall.

"What is going on?" Dean finally found his voice; exhaustion and fear making him sound downright angry.

"Just kill it!" Casey shouted. "For the love of Pete, kill it!"

Dean stared back across the room and walked over to where Bennett was standing, one hand braced on the table to hold her up. She smiled and pointed. His overheated, tired eyes widened and he spun around to face Casey. He said, "A spider? Seriously? You hunt monsters and you're scared of a spider?"

Casey looked furious but she stood her ground. On the bed. "Would you just kill the thing already?"

"Spiders aren't bad." Bennett looked up from her analysis of the spider. "They actually…"

"Don't care." Casey said, hands outstretched, "Please, will you just get rid of it!"

Dean stood there, completely dumbfounded and shook his head at Sam. Sam shrugged, lowered his gun, grabbed a piece of paper and scooped the spider up; toothbrush still in his mouth. Bennett nodded and smiled at him, then sank into a chair as he dutifully carried the spider outside.

"Feel better?" Dean asked, finding it difficult not to laugh.

Casey shook her head. "I can't sleep in here now."

"What?" Dean was incredulous. He watched her climb off the bed and grab her bag. "You have got to be joking…"

"I'm sleeping in my car." She said and walked straight out the door, brushing by Sam as he came back in.

"What's that about?" Sam asked, looking every bit as exhausted as Dean felt.

"She doesn't want to sleep in here now."

"Because of the spider?" Sam laughed, running a hand over his face. "She knows I just put that spider outside, right?"

Dean shrugged.

"Is she ok?"

"I don't know, Sam." Dean sighed. He just wanted to sleep. Really wanted to sleep. But he couldn't sleep knowing Casey was outside alone. So he dropped their gear and pulled a blanket off one of the beds. "Go ahead and hit the sack. I'll check on her."

* * *

Heading outside, Dean carried the blanket with him. He was exhausted and knew everyone else was too. But he needed to talk to Casey.

Casey was sitting on the trunk of her car, staring off across the parking lot. She still looked feverish and wasn't wearing her jacket. But he could see her trembling in the cold night air.

"Hey," Dean called out as he approached her. "I brought you a blanket. Figured it gets chilly at night and you might need it." He opened the door of the Mustang and set the blanket inside before joining her on the trunk. He could see that she was still shivering so he slid out of his jacket and put it over her shoulders before sitting down next to her.

"Thanks," Casey said with a smile and she pulled the jacket tighter around her.

"Casey?" Dean said tentatively.

"Hmm?" she replied.

She seemed distracted, lost in her own thoughts but there was something that was bothering Dean so he asked "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what's up?" Casey turned her attention to him.

"I couldn't help but notice at the hospital..." Dean started.

"That I had some freaky mojo going on? I noticed that too."

"No, actually," Dean hesitated before continuing. "Not that. After, when I was holding you for that few minutes before you really woke up."

"Yeah, what about it?"

"When you woke up you were really panicked. And not the kind of panic that would be brought on by crazy superpowers. Come to think of it, when we first met I grabbed your arm and you looked like a scared little girl." He could see the fear in her eyes again and said softly, "I guess I was curious as to what that was all about."

"Oh, that. Well... it's really personal." Casey tried to avoid answering.

"Casey, you can tell me."

Casey didn't know why she felt like she could trust her darkest secrets with Dean, but she did. "Remember how I told you I stole this bad boy from my ex-boyfriend?" Casey asked as she patted the car.

"Yeah," Dean answered. "You said he was a pretty mean guy."

"He was. Still is I suppose, I haven't seen or talked to him since." She said almost sadly. "I wasn't always like this. I wasn't always...afraid of being touched by a man."

Dean watched as she swallowed hard and tried to continue.

"I was a hunter, so it wasn't like I didn't know how to deal with bumps and bruises. But I was also just a teenager and I didn't really know any better." Casey paused, squeezing her hands together and looking away. _You should have listened to Crowley..._

"What happened Casey?" Dean prodded.

"I was a love struck idiot, that's what happened," she replied dryly. "I was 18 at the time and I had a thing for bad boys."

"Had?" Dean interrupted with a twinkle in his eye.

"Don't flatter yourself. And if you keep interrupting I am not gonna finish." Casey said rolling her eyes.

"Sorry."

"Anyway, Jake was about as bad as they come. I should have known better, I mean my uncle even tried to warn me but.."

"Uncle?" Dean asked, wondering why she hadn't said mom or dad.

Casey shot him a look and he shut up. "Jake liked cars so I learned to like cars too. He taught me all about them. Until one day I corrected him when he was working on an old pick-up and the back of his hand connected with my face."

She felt Dean tense beside her. Hitting women did not sit well with him. Ever. Casey

continued, "He apologized immediately. And I'd taken worse hits from hunting so I shrugged it off. He promised it would never happen again. Until it did." She hated thinking about what happened to her and she felt the familiar sting of tears in her eyes. She looked up, willing them not to fall.

"The second time was because I put too much mayo on his sandwich. And after that, he didn't really need a reason." She paused again to wipe that first tear that fell. Dr. Casey Economou did not cry. Not anymore and especially not in front of men. But she couldn't stop the silent tears that now streamed down her cheeks.

"The last time I saw him I had gotten to the shop later than he wanted…" She took a deep breath to steady herself before continuing. "I figured I'd get something for that but I wasn't expecting the… the wrench. He hit me with it out of nowhere and I fell. He climbed on top of me, pinning me to the floor and I couldn't move, couldn't breathe. He was going to hit me again… I was so scared, Dean," she took another deep breath.

Dean reached over and took her hand in a gesture of support. Casey squeezed it and held onto the lifeline he had thrown her.

"I managed to move just enough to avoid the hit and when he tried to adjust I kept moving until I got free. After that I fought back. When I was done with him I took off in his car and I never looked back," Casey finally finished, the tears still falling. "That's why I panicked. I was in pain and I couldn't move. It felt like I was reliving it."

Dean cupped her face with his hand and brushed away a stray tear with his thumb. "I'll never hurt you like that Echo, I promise," he said softly.

"I know," she stated. "I don't know how I know, but I do." And with that he leaned in and gently pressed his lips to hers.

It was the most magical thing Casey had ever experienced, well except for actual magic. Her lips responded to Dean's as if every kiss she had had before was leading up to this one. And then, all too soon, it was over. Dean pulled away, breaking the kiss, and stared into Casey's warm brown eyes. He didn't say anything, just smiled at her.

"It's pretty late, we should probably get some sleep." Casey said with a smile, suddenly feeling like a silly school-girl again.

"Yeah, you're probably right."

Dean opened the door of the Mustang. "You know, if you don't want to sleep in here, there's always room with me," he said with a smirk as Casey moved to get inside her car.

"Not a chance, Winchester."

"I didn't think so," Dean brushed his hand against Casey's cheek one last time and placed a soft kiss to her lips and then to her forehead. "Night, Echo," he said.

"Goodnight Dean."

* * *

**Thursday 0825  
****Motel  
****Lewisburg, TN**

Dean felt pretty good. It was amazing what four and a half hours sleep could do for someone. He smelled the complementary coffee that Sam had brewed and knew he'd feel completely human after some coffee and breakfast. He pulled on his shirts, and stepped out of the bathroom.

"Did you use all the hot water?"

Dean glanced over at Bennett. Sitting up on the bed, she was smiling at him through a mop of completely unruly hair, tugging at her bloodstained t-shirt. He shook his head, "No, I didn't. Sam did."

"Casey is gonna love that." Bennett said, then rolled off the bed, getting to her feet and only looking a little unsteady. She pulled her bag off the floor and headed for the bathroom.

"What do you want for breakfast?" Dean asked as she passed him. "I'm gonna go grab something."

"Hamburger."

"What?"

She shrugged, "I don't know, I'm hungry."

Dean tilted his head in amusement, "Ok."

"I really don't care. Just bring lots of whatever it is. I'm starving. And a coke. A big one. Or two." Bennett rubbed her eyes, leaning against the wall and looking up at him, "I'm really starving."

"It's because you haven't been eating much, and you lost a ton of blood." Dean said, grabbing his duffle bag and sifting around. He finally found a granola bar and tossed it over to her. "Nibble on that till I get back."

"Thanks." She pulled the wrapper off and ate half of the bar before she even made it into the bathroom.

Casey awoke with a sore neck and back. It had been a while since she had had to sleep in her car. Memories of a hospital and her hands wrapped around the neck of a monster had her panicking for a split second, but she was soon assaulted with the familiar, comforting scent that could only belong to Dean Winchester. She smiled to herself, pulling his jacket closer around her shoulders and relaxing into it for a moment. Panic abated, she sat up and stretched. From her spot in the car she saw Sam walking towards her with a cup of coffee.

Bless that man, she thought to herself. She hated mornings and hated them even more when her night was spent in her car.

"Hey Sam," she said, climbing out of the car.

"Morning," Sam replied, with a smile. "I figured you would want coffee after spending the night in that thing," he said handing her the cup.

"Thanks. And don't call him a 'thing' it hurts his feelings," She waved a finger at him, sipping her coffee, grateful for the warmth. And the caffeine. Casey asked, "How's Bennett?"

"Better, I think. Slept like a log."

"What's the story with her, anyway? I mean, I guess I know some of it, but I feel like I haven't really heard the whole thing." Casey said, leaning against the car. Some of it she knew, a lot of it she suspected.

Sam took a drink, then said, "She came back from hell."

"Excuse me?" Casey nearly spit out her coffee. Even though she and Crowley had discussed that being a possibility, to hear him say it so casually threw her.

"Yeah, it's been known to happen actually." Sam smiled ruefully. "We don't know how she got back. An angel has pulled other people out, but we don't know if that's what happened to her or not. We think she was brought back because she's supposed to be that plague maiden you mentioned."

Casey nodded and listened intently as Sam went on and explained how they'd come in contact with Bennett. She felt anger burn in her gut when he told her what Jody had told him the night before about Bennett's family history. She asked softly, "Did you tell her?"

"Not yet." Sam admitted. "I was going to, but then we were attacked by the demons last night and it kind of wasn't so important anymore."

She nodded, wondering once again if Crowley could have anything to do with the mysteriously disappearing demons. It wasn't past his abilities, of course, but if he was in the neighborhood, why wasn't he bugging her? Something felt off about the situation, and Casey, oddly enough, felt concerned by the lack of contact with her so-called uncle. For a moment, they just stood there, silently enjoying their coffee.

Casey looked over Sam's shoulder and smiled when she saw Dean coming towards them. When Dean reached the two standing by the Mustang he leaned down and gave Casey a quick peck on the lips. She blushed, not having expected that. Especially not in front of Sam.

Sam just chuckled and said, "Well, it's about time!"

"Shut up," Dean replied with a smile. He kept an arm around Casey's waist, and for the first time in her life, Casey felt totally secure. Dean asked, "What's everyone want for breakfast? So far I have an order for a hamburger and a very large soda."

"A hamburger?" Sam laughed. "Dean, can't you eat something normal for breakfast?"

Dean grinned. "It's not for me." Sam raised his eyebrows as Dean nodded. "And she wants it now. She's starving. So you two better pick quick or we're going to have an unhappy customer on our hands."

"You're going to find her a hamburger at this hour?" Sam asked.

"I'll grill her one myself if I have to." Dean proclaimed. "I aim to please."

"Yeah? Why don't you ever do what I want?"

"What are you talking about? I do what you want all the time."

"You didn't buy the coffee I asked for last week."

Dean held up a hand. "Five words, bro. Cake that was not pie."

Sam rolled his eyes. Dean was never going to let him live that down. He'd been a fool to have bought cake. Never made the mistake again. Sam said, "I'm going to choose not to mention that time you sent me in for pie…."

"Shut up." Dean cut him off, his expression deathly serious. "Do not ever bring that up to me."

Sam just laughed.

"I have not had enough coffee for this brotherly moment. I'm gonna go somewhere with a little less morning..." Casey stood up on tiptoes and pecked Dean on the lips one last time before shuffling off towards the spider infested motel room. Okay, so it was one spider last night, but hey, where there was one, there was bound to be more. Right now, though, she hated mornings more than she hated spiders. "Just bring me back something. Anything, as long as it comes with more coffee, will be great."

Dean watched her go and smiled, admiring the way she looked in his jacket.

"So…I'm assuming that you two had a good talk last night?" Sam asked with a smile.

"Uh yeah actually we did." Dean recapped their talk from the night before, pulling his keys out of his pocket.

"Wow, the guy sounds like a Class-A dirt bag." Sam said.

"Yeah, I swear if I ever meet the guy I'm gonna put bullet in him." Dean said seriously.

"And I'll put one more in him for good measure," Sam agreed, then remembered he hadn't told Dean about Jody's phone call.

* * *

Casey shuffled back to the motel room with one goal. Finding an actual bed. When she reached the door she saw Bennett step out of the bathroom, short hair dripping and messy. Casey wondered if the girl owned a brush or a comb. At least she was looking better than she had the last few days. An night of actual sleep seemed to have done her good.

"Morning!" Bennett chirped, pulling her black boots on with one hand, a cup of coffee in her other.

"Mehh..." Casey replied, "Mornings are stupid."

She set her coffee down on the table as she passed. She flopped down onto the closest bed and decided she wasn't going to move ever again. Taking a deep breath, she discovered the spot that she fell on smelled like musk, gunpowder, and leather. Dean. He must have slept here last night. She smiled for a moment before closing her eyes. Hearing the Impala start up, Casey knew Dean was going to get breakfast. She hoped to get a few more minutes of sleep while he was gone.

When Sam walked back into the room, he was greeted by a cheerful Bennett and an interesting view of Dean's new girlfriend. Casey was sprawled out, face down, on the bed closest to the door. She didn't look like she was planning on moving anytime soon and didn't acknowledge his presence. Sam grinned and opened his laptop.

"Can I help?" Bennett asked, crossing the room and pulling up the other chair to sit next to him. She peered at the laptop screen. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for where the plague has struck again."

"What does all of this have to do with me?" She asked, looking a little less cheerful.

Her eyes were uncertain and sad, but he had to admire her. Given all that she'd been put through, she was holding it together far better than most people would have. Sam said, "It looks like the plague demon, Pestis, needs a host. One that's immune."

"I'm immune?"

"Apparently."

"How?"

"We don't know."

Bennett said, "Can you tell me what your friend told you about me now, Sam? I trust you. I know you wouldn't lie to me. But I need to know. Ok?"

Sam smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I know you do. You and your mom were on vacation at Mackinac Island. Does that ring a bell?"

"Nope. But it's nice to know I have a mom." She smiled slightly, then added, "Or had a mom. I already know my story isn't a happy one."

"I'm sorry, Bennett."

"What's my real name? Did she say?"

"Jaina Prentiss. Your mom and dad were Thomas and Melinda." Sam said, watching her expression. No shock or surprise, just a slight nod.

"So my parents are both dead. I kind of figured. And I hate that name. Probably named after some hundred year old aunt." Bennett tapped her fingers on the table. "Don't call me that name. I hate it. What else did Jody say?"

Sam took a deep breath, then spilled the rest of the beans. She had been right, it wasn't a happy story. She took it exceptionally well, though. Not a hint of panic or distress. He wasn't sure if she was just too shocked and it wasn't absorbing, or if she really was that sanguine.

After a moment of silence, he asked, "Bennett?"

"I'm ok. Really. It doesn't mean much to me, you know? I don't remember it." She frowned, then said, "Or, actually, maybe I do. Maybe it's just been so long. I feel like I've lived another whole life since then."

"You have." Sam said softly.

Bennett nodded, "And now...now I'm living my third life." She smiled a bit wider this time. "I think it's going to be the best one yet."

Casey had listened to the entire exchange between Sam and Bennett while feigning sleep. Bennett had handled it all better than she'd expected; better than she might have if it had been her. They had gradually lowered their voices and when she peeked at them, their heads were bent close together as they stared at the laptop screen. Cute. She let their voices become background noise as she tried to rest. It wasn't long, though, before she heard the Impala. The door opened, letting in a cold breeze. Before she knew it, someone was shaking her leg.

"Rise and shine Sleeping Beauty," Dean teased.

"I don't want to," Casey whined. Since when did she whine? I really hate mornings.

"Tough luck. We have to get back on the road. I want to leave in the next half hour or so," Dean replied. He couldn't help but take in the sight, he had a great view of her yoga pants. "Sam found ground zero for the latest plague outbreak. Indianapolis."

"Fine. I'm gonna jump in the shower then. Give me like ten minutes," Casey said forcing herself into a sitting position. She got up off the bed and went to her bag. She pulled out a change of clothes and her bag of toiletries.

"What do you need that for?" Dean asked nodding towards her toiletries bag.

"Toiletries? Shampoo, conditioner, typical girly hygiene things." Casey replied. Clearly he hadn't spent a lot of time around women while traveling.

"The motels usually have that stuff don't they?" Dean asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Deano, have you seen how much hair I have?" Casey asked as she pointed to the very messy bun sitting on top of her head. "That little bottle of conditioner might cover half of it. I don't think it would be enough to cover even a third of Sam's hair."

Sam, Bennett, and Dean all snickered at her comment.

"Okay, but what is with all the cords and things?" Dean continued, eyes wide.

"Hair dryer, flat iron, curling iron. Great hair doesn't just happen, Deano." Casey grinned and called over her shoulder, "I'll be out in ten minutes."

Dean just shook his head and smiled. He hated to see her go, but boy, did he love to watch her leave.

* * *

_Aww, Dean stop staring at Casey! heehee... ;) Hope you enjoyed getting to know Casey a bit better... I promise you there is MUCH more to come! _


	15. Chapter 15

_So there's a bit of action coming your way in this chapter. We were listening to Radioactive by Imagine Dragons on a continuous loop as we wrote and revised this one... it is the fitting soundtrack to this action packed chapter. Hold on to your hats, folks..._

* * *

**Thursday 0956  
****Motel  
Le****wisburg, TN**

"Dude, you're making me nervous." Dean complained, reclining on one of the beds, finishing his breakfast sandwich.

"I don't like that she's out there alone." Sam glared at his brother.

"So go out and sit with her."

"I think she needed a little time to herself, you know?"

Dean snickered and tossed his sandwich wrapper across the room and scored a perfect basket in the trash can. Pumping a fist in the air, he stared back at Sam. Ever since Bennett had stepped out to smoke, Sam had been pacing in front of the window. He'd sit down every once in awhile and look at his laptop, then stand back up and look out at her. Dean shook his head; it was driving him nuts. He reached for the wrapper from Bennett's sandwich; a sandwich that she had inhaled in record time. He crumpled it up and hit it easily off the back of Sam's head. He didn't even flinch.

Dean raised an eyebrow and said, "Geeze, Sam. Don't be such a girl. Go out there."

"Shut up." Sam muttered, continuing to stare.

"Whatever, man." Dean shrugged, stretching his arms out and sliding to the edge of the bed. "So we totally need a better plan for when we go meet up with Pestis in Indy. I don't want whatever happened to Casey to happen again."

"You have a suggestion as to how we should deal with this thing?"

"No idea."

"Cas still ignoring you?"

"He's ticking me off is what he's doing." Dean grumbled. "Doesn't come when I call, shows up out of the blue and then can't get ahold of him again. After all this time, you'd think he'd have caught a few clues about how we humans do things."

"What do humans do?" Casey asked, stepping out of the bathroom in a cloud of steam. She looked fresh and energized. Hair falling in soft curls own her shoulders, make-up done to perfection; even in jeans and a t-shirt, she looked more like Dr. Casey Economou from the Field Museum in Chicago than she had in a long time.

Dean whistled at her.

Casey smiled, tilted her head and asked, "Is that what humans do?"

"Mmhmm, when they see things they like." Dean said with a grin. He said, "We were talking about Cas."

"Your angel?"

Dean snorted, "I guess you could say that. Yeah, he's not answering his angelic phone."

"They have those?" Casey asked incredulously.

"But crummy reception…" Dean muttered.

"Dean!" Sam's voice had an element of panic to it and drew their attention. He was heading for the front door and pulled it open just in time for Bennett to come running through.

"Demon!" She called out, running straight into Sam.

Sam wrapped her up into his arms, pulling her away from the door as he slammed it. Dean was at his side in an instant, gun ready and checking the salt line. Casey went to the window, her weapon drawn as she peered outside. Her heart sank as she caught sight of the demon. _Won-der-ful…_ He saw her at the window and shot her a questioning glance, shrugging his shoulders and nodding to the door.

"Crap." Casey muttered.

"What? Dean asked, heading to the window.

"Uh, it's Crowley."

"What?" Both Sam and Dean said at the same time.

"Yeah. Crowley. He, uh...well, he wants to come inside." Casey said with a sigh. "Guys, I know you don't want to, but I think we need to let him in and hear what he has to say."

Dean's expression alternated between utter shock and anger in a heartbeat. "You know him?"

"Don't look at me like that." She snapped, "You know him too. And...he's helped me before."

"Always with a catch, I'm betting." Dean muttered. He glanced at Sam who shrugged, then nodded. "Fine, fine."

"What are you doing?" Bennett asked, voice tight with concern. She was still clinging to Sam.

Sam said, "It's ok, Bennett. We actually know this one. It'll be ok."

Dean didn't think she looked convinced, but she let go of Sam and stepped a few paces back. He took a deep breath, annoyed that Crowley was on their doorstep when Cas couldn't seem to be bothered to ever get back to him. He pulled the door open and glared at the grinning face that met him on the other side of the door.

"Hello, boys!" Crowley said, then peered around Dean and added, "And girls."

"What do you want, Crowley?" Dean asked, not budging.

Crowley looked put out. "I want to come in. Mind the salt line for me there, would you?"

Dean held his ground. He studied Crowley. The smug smile was in place, but he looked a bit worse for wear. Usually a neat dresser, his suit was battered, dirty and torn. Dean realized that it looked like Crowley had recently taken quite a beating. He asked, "What happened to you?"

At that, Crowley looked suddenly nervous and said, "I'd really like to come in, if you don't mind."

"Let him in, Deano," Casey said. She wondered if Crowley was going to let the Winchesters know they were related. Ish. _Related-ish._

"Thank you, love." Crowley said with a smile.

Dean shot her a look, but Casey ignored it. As soon as Crowley was inside, Dean pushed the salt back in place and locked the door. Casey asked, "What's going on?"

"What's going on, boys and girls, is that you are all in a lot of trouble. And all because of your little plague maiden over there." Crowley pointed at Bennett. "Abbadon's goons are all over the place looking for you. You think you got away from them, but you're sadly mistaken."

"And you know this how?" Dean asked.

Crowley glared at him. "Because I've been trying to keep up with them, deal with them, and, oh by the way, save your backsides."

Sam shook his head, "Why would you do that?"

"Because you mean the world to me." Crowley glared at him. "Why do you think? Because it's good for me, you imbecile. Abbadon wants to take over this world. Wants to take over my world. This is all part of her plan."

"And you want to stop it." Dean said, folding his arms across his chest.

"Of course I do. And you should too." Crowley said, expression and tone growing very serious. "This plague you're chasing, it's not an ordinary demon."

Casey nodded, "I know, you told me. Stuff demons check under their bed for."

Dean shot her a questioning glance which she ignored.

Crowley said, "Look, I've been fighting her teeming hoards of stooges for awhile now. Long before the two of you picked up your girlfriend there." He waved his hand between Sam and Dean, then pointed at Bennett. "Who do you think saved your sorry hides last night?"

"You?" Sam asked, "You got rid of those two trucks?"

"Abbadon's demons. You're welcome. Now, can we go?"

"Go?" Dean asked, "What are you talking about?"

Crowley rolled his eyes and motioned to the door, "Go. As in run for our lives. In case you couldn't tell by looking at me, I've recently had a bit of an altercation. You four are currently surrounded by demons and I don't have quite the army I used to have. If you want to live for more than the next few minutes, you may want to listen to me and run."

Dean asked, "Why should we trust you?"

"Well of course you shouldn't." Crowley said, "So stay here by all means and I'll send flowers to your funerals. I'm just sorry that poor girl is going to suffer for your stupidity."

Bennett found her voice and asked, "What do you mean?"

"You, my dear child, are what Abbadon wants." Crowley said. His tone was soft, almost apologetic. "You are the only host that can support Pestis. That monster takes over whoever it finds, but the hosts burn up extremely quickly. You're immune. You're the only one who can hold him."

"Well, that ain't happening." Dean said. Sam and Casey were already gathering the last of their supplies, preparing to do exactly what Crowley was suggesting. Regardless of the fact that he didn't trust him as far as he could throw him, Dean felt that itch that told him it was past time to run.

Crowley actually leaned down and picked up a bag. "Good. I'm glad you can see reason. I would have come sooner…"

He never finished his sentence because at that exact moment the room exploded.

* * *

**Thursday 1012  
****Motel  
****Lewisburg, TN**

Ears ringing, Dean pushed himself off the carpet. He was having difficulty seeing through the flares of light flashing in front of his eyes. It had felt like a bomb had gone off, but considering they were all in one piece, Dean guessed it had been some sort of a flashbang. Enough to knock them all down, not enough to cause any permanent damage. He cursed under his breath, shooting a meaningful glare at Crowley.

He coughed, then said, "You led them to us."

"No. I just beat them to you." Crowley said, looking around.

"Guys!"

Casey's slightly panicked voice broke through the buzzing in Dean's head. He looked over at her and saw she was on her feet, searching the room. He joined her in taking a head count, coming up one short, just as she asked, 'Where's Bennett?"

"Crap!" Dean said, gun in his hand as Sam ran out the front door.

"I told you." Crowley said, sitting back against the bed. "I tried to get you to leave…"

"Shut up Crowley!" Dean shouted, "Where is she?"

"I would guess they've taken her to their evil lair." Crowley shrugged. "Not my circus, not my monkeys."

Casey gave him her most evil stare and hissed, "It is your circus. It's all your circus. You don't get to give up, here. You're part of this and you're going to help us find her."

He seemed to be considering, then recognized he had no way out of this. Crowley said, "Look, they want her. Want her so they can fill her with a monster. Abbadon doesn't even have control over this monster. That's why it's in Indianapolis right now. Abbadon can't get it to do what she wants. Pestis is off doing its own thing. So our favorite ginger from hell has got a place where her minions are going to hole up and sit on your little friend until she can get Pestis to cooperate."

"Where?" Dean asked as Sam came back through the door with a shrug and a look of fear on his face.

Crowley stood up, "It's out of town. Old farmhouse."

Dean nodded, "Ok, that's where we're heading." He glanced back at Casey. He did not want to take the chance of her having another episode. "I want you to stay here."

"What?" She exclaimed.

"Look, given what happened before…"

"I saved your life." Casey said, stubbornly. "And given what happened before, I think you need me."

Dean shook his head.

Casey jutted her chin out defiantly and said, "No way. I'm coming with you. End of story. We both know you'd be lost without me, Deano."

"Whatever." Sam interrupted, "Lets just go, alright?"

Dean turned his glare from Casey to Crowley. "Where is this place?"

"I can give you the address, but I can get there faster." Crowley offered.

Sam snorted, "You just had your butt handed to you by these guys, now you wanna go running back to them?"

"Absolutely not. I want to be done with all of this nonsense. I want to be the King of Hell again and not have to deal with this chaos." Crowley shouted, "But we don't all get what we want, now do we? I'm actually trying to work with you boys on this."

"Can you get her out?" Dean asked, ignoring the demonic hissy fit.

"Dean." Sam's voice held a not so subtle warning.

"Sam." Dean countered, facing his brother. "We don't have a lot of options here. If he can get to her…"

Crowley shrugged, "I can try. What I can't do is guarantee anything. Now, I sensed something about her." He snapped a finger and looked at Sam, "She's one of Azazel's child prodigies, isn't she?"

"What if she is?" Sam asked, anger and suspicion on his face, "What difference…"

"What can she do?"

Dean said, "She can make illusions. Make people, and demons see things."

"Wonderful, so she has an advantage they don't know about." Crowley nodded, "This will be useful."

"Not necessarily." Dean said, "She can't control it very well. It almost killed her the last time. I told her not to do it again."

Crowley arched an eyebrow, "And she'll listen to you on that?"

Dean growled, "She better if she knows what's good for her."

"Girl just needs a few tips from a pro. She's never had time to let it develop topside. Down below, it works a bit differently and she probably was a lot more powerful. I can help with that." Crowley explained. He scribbled an address on the notepad. "Like I said, it's a long trip. I'll meet you there."

* * *

Bennett wished she could go back to the lake with Bobby. Even if she'd been in hell at the time, she'd felt safer than she did right now. She looked around the dark room. It was ridiculous to be thinking about hell right now. This was just a dark room. Nothing scary or dangerous. Just an empty dark room.

A dark room that was _not t_he motel room with Sam and Dean and Casey.

That room had been even better than hell with Bobby. She wanted to go back. Back to the first people who had made her truly feel safe in a very long time. Considering she'd been kidnapped by demons, it didn't seem likely that the demons would oblige her request no matter how nicely she asked. On to other options… All her moving parts still worked as far as she could tell. Good. Pushing up to her feet, Bennett squinted as she looked around the room. Just enough light filtered in from the boarded up windows for her to make out the details of the room. There was a door at one end and the boarded up window.

Bennett tried the door. Locked. Of course it was. She put her ear to the door. She couldn't hear anything, but she knew they were out there. Many of them. Too many. Her heart skipped a beat and suddenly she was terrified. Backing away from the door, she started to picture that lake.

Soft breeze. Gentle waves on the sand. Warm sun on her face. She smiled and listened to the gulls. Before she'd had time to enjoy it, though, she remembered Dean's instructions that she wasn't supposed to be doing it anymore. She frowned and the lake disappeared and she was in the dark again. But was it so bad if she was just painting a picture for herself? He was worried, but she'd never had an issue when she'd just painted her own pictures.

He said no.

Bennett pursed her lips and reached into her pocket for a cigarette. Only two left. Well that wasn't going to last her very long. Even as she lit up, she tried to figure out why she was doing it. She hated the smell of smoke. Everything about smoking was terrible. But she couldn't stop herself and as she put the cigarette to her lips, a foggy memory drifted into her mind...

_He swore at her again and threw his glass at the wall. He shouted, "Don't you dare do that in my house!"_

_"Fine." She'd thrown her book across the room in a reflection of his movement. Never in her life had she felt the nuclear fury she felt at that moment._

_"I want you gone. Gone! You're nothing to me." His words were laced with poison. "Your mother would be here if you hadn't taken her to that cave."_

_It was his motto these days. Jaina had only heard him say it ten times a day for the past six months. Six months since her mom had died. Six months of her father turning into the worst version of himself that she had ever seen. She'd stopped crying a long time ago. The more angry he got the less she cared._

_Jaina blew out a rebellious puff of smoke and grabbed her purse. "I'm gone."_

The memory sprang from nowhere and Bennett wanted to drop the cigarette, but didn't. She decided she was going to enjoy her act of teenage rebellion even now. She hadn't thought of her father in who knew how long. She still couldn't even picture him. Just that one random memory of the very last time she'd ever seen him. Time to once again block all of that out and think of other things. Like getting away. Before she could reconsider how utterly unlikely it was that she would ever get away, she was no longer alone.

"You!" She gasped and threw a punch before she even realized what she was doing.

Crowley recoiled from the blow, shocked at how strong she was. "Easy! Easy, missy."

Bennett dove at him and sent him stumbling backwards to avoid her. He grabbed her arms and pinned them to her sides. He said in a frantic whisper, "Will you take it easy? I'm not here to hurt you, Jaina."

"Don't call me that." Bennett said, and promptly kneed him in a sensitive place. "It's your fault I'm here."

Groaning, Crowley crumpled to the ground. Had she really just done that? He was seriously regretting his decision to come 'rescue' the girl. He hadn't expected to get another beating. And he was getting a beating. He was down on his knees and she was kicking him. Hard. Hand up, Crowley shouted, "Stop it!"

Bennett backed away from him, eyes glued to his face, fists still raised. He wasn't doing what she had expected. He was a demon. Why wasn't he pinning her to the wall? What was he doing? She glared at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to rescue you." He glared back at her.

"You're lying. You're just trying to trick me."

"Look, missy, I have other things I would much rather be doing right now rather than getting beat up by some little hell-brat." Crowley sneered. "You should watch yourself."

Bennett kicked him again and he groaned.

He groaned again. "I showed up at Camp Winchester in order to help. I tried to get you all out of there in a hurry, you might remember. We didn't move fast enough and they grabbed you. Now, I don't have a lot of sway around here these days. So we don't have a lot of time. I'd like to get out of here now, if it's all the same to you."

Bennett shrugged, "So go. You smell funny anyway."

Crowley shot her an offended look. "And you're a snotty little minx who needed to be spanked more as a child."

"I got sent to hell by my own father." Bennett shouted at him. "I think that takes childhood discipline to a whole new level."

"You clearly didn't learn anything from the experience." Crowley straightened up, gritting his teeth. "Please, please, will you just let me get you out of here?"

"I'm not going anywhere with you."

"The Winchesters and Casey are on their way here to help, but I came ahead to get you out." Crowley tried again.

"Like I believe anything you say, creepy butler of hell." Bennett scoffed.

"For the…." Crowley blew out a huff of air in utter frustration. This was not at all how he had expected this to go. He wracked his brains trying to figure out a way to get through to her. He snapped his fingers and smiled. He said, "Poughkeepsie!"

Bennett blinked at him, but didn't look any more inclined to do what he wanted her to. She asked, "Did you just have a stroke?"

So the Winchesters hadn't taught her that one. Crowley wanted to wring her neck. He yanked himself to his feet and said, "I'm going to open that door and deal with whatever is on the other side of it. You can sit here and be a spoiled little brat, or you can come with me. I almost think I hope you stay."

She watched him go, the door opening for him without hesitation. Bennett watched him go. There was no way she trusted that monster. The more she thought of it, though, the more she wondered if she should actually follow him. Casey had told them to work with him. Even Sam and Dean had known Crowley. Was it even possible that he really was trying to help her?

Bennett didn't have time to wonder because the silence of the house suddenly was filled with the sounds of agonized screaming. She backed up against the far wall away from the door. Those screams were Crowley's. Bennett wanted to disappear.

She started thinking about that lake again.

* * *

"I can't believe you let him go after her."

Dean gripped the steering wheel. As usual, he had made the sane decision to throttle an inanimate object than to throttle his brother. They'd been on the road for almost thirty minutes and the entire trip he'd been listening to Sam worry through the guise of angry complaining about their so-called battle plan. Dean said forcefully, "I don't think I exactly let Crowley do anything."

"He'll take care of her." Casey offered timidly from the back seat. She was more than a little afraid to get between the brothers during a fight, but she wanted to try to set Sam's mind at ease. "He's a monster, but he isn't going to let anything happen to her, Sam."

Sam turned around and looked at her. He didn't look convinced or relieved. He asked, "How do you know that? Why do you trust him?"

"We go back a long way. Look, I know he's a demon. He can't be trusted, not all the time, but I know we can trust him on this. I hate working with him, but he is her best chance."

Taking a deep breath, Sam nodded slowly. In the near distance, they could see a farmhouse. Sam glanced at his watch, "We can't be there already, can we? How fast have you been driving, man?"

"Fast." Dean muttered, "Every five seconds an annoying voice told me to go faster."

Casey leaned forward, frowning. They did seem to have arrived a lot earlier than what they had expected. She felt a prickle of concern. Something seemed wrong. An old beat up Mazda sat in the front yard of the farmhouse, but there was no sign of life. Dean pulled the Impala off the road and parked at the end of the driveway.

"Alright." He said, picking up his shotgun from the seat next to him. "Sam, front door. Echo, with me at the back. We take out anything that isn't Bennett."

"Including Crowley?" Sam asked, looking hopeful.

"If he gets in the way." Dean nodded, opening his door. "Give us thirty to reach the back, then go in."

Sam nodded and they took off in their separate directions.

* * *

"Listen to me."

Bennett covered her ears and crushed herself back against the wall. He was in her head. She whispered, "Leave me alone."

In the other room, she could hear the demons torturing Crowley. They'd left the door wide open and she could hear everything. Eyes pressed closed, she didn't want to see anything. Just when she thought it couldn't get worse, Crowley had started talking in her head.

"Look, missy, I'm trying to save your life here. You need to work with me."

Bennett let her mind talk back. "I wouldn't follow you out a door, why would I let you take over my mind?"

Crowley's voice groaned in her head at the same time as he shouted in pain from the next room. He said, "If you had listened to me and walked out that door we might have made it out before this happened."

"Leave me alone." She screamed in her head. He wouldn't let up though.

"No. I know what you are. You're like Sam. You have a gift, Bennett. You can't control it and Dean told you not to use it." Crowley gasped, then choked out, "I can help you be strong enough to use it and get us both out of here alive! You can do much more than you know."

_Don't want to hear it. Don't want to hear it. Leave me alone._ But she did hear it. _Dean told you not to use it._ How had he known that? Bennett relaxed slightly. The demon might not be worth trusting, but maybe he was telling the truth. She asked, "How did you know that Dean said not to use it?"

"He told me. He told me when I asked what your gift was. I needed to know what you were capable of before I came." He grunted in pain and said in a weaker voice, "If you don't let me help you, they are going to kill me and then they are going to feed you to Pestis and you will never, ever be free."

Bennett took a deep breath, her stomach turning at the sounds of Crowley's screams from the other room. She fisted her hands and rose to her feet, back to the wall. She let her mind whisper, "What do you want me to do?"

* * *

The farmhouse was huge. A great hall met Sam as he entered. He checked the room to his right, a sitting room, and found it empty. French doors led into another sitting room to his left. He heard Dean and Casey walking through the back of the house and he cautiously opened the French doors. Slipping inside, he didn't see anything at first. Then he smelled the sulphur, and something else. Something was off. Holding the shotgun up, he spun to his left and saw it. Standing in the corner, what had once been a man. Now, it looked like a caricature of a human being, its face literally melting off like wax on a lit candle.

Just as he opened his mouth to shout a warning to Dean, the monster lifted a hand and he lost his breath. The shotgun fell out of his hand as a wave of heat passed over him. He gasped and fought to catch his breath. It felt like he'd just been hit in the chest by a bowling ball. The creature didn't move, but Sam dropped to his knees, suddenly more concerned about just breathing than what the monster was doing. He vaguely realized it must be Pestis. Burning with an unnatural fever, Sam braced his hands on the ground and coughed. Blood splattered on the ugly grey carpet.

Chills overcoming him, he realized it was the plague. He was going to die from the Black Plague.

* * *

Bennett tried to breathe through the fear. Crowley's voice was a constant hum in her head; punctuated by his shouts of pain. He was in her head. Teaching her, training her. Things she didn't understand before, ways to control her abilities. Ways to perfect her skills. She was shaking already, feeling like everything was glowing extra bright and the room felt stifling.

"You have to do exactly what I say, Bennett." Crowley said. "We're almost done. You already know how to do it, but now you will be able to control it."

She listened to him for another minute, then heard nothing from the other room. In her mind, she asked, "Crowley?"

"Now." he whispered, then fell silent.

Bennett stood up and clenched her fists. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward toward the door. She could hear the demons in the other room. Stopping once she walked through the door, Bennett looked around. Crowley was chained to a table to the far side of the room. His face bloody and bruised, clothes torn, blood dripped off his hand that hung over the edge of the table. There were four demons standing around him. And they turned as one when she walked into the room.

"Well, hello there." One spoke, his smile terrifying. "We'd love to have fun with you, but Abbadon only told us we could play with this one. You'll just have to sit tight until Pestis arrives."

He took one step toward her and Bennett smiled. She raised a hand and painted him a picture she was certain he would never forget.

* * *

Dean heard Sam coughing up a lung and he and Casey tore through the house as if hellhounds were on their heels. As they ran to the front of the house, he registered the fact that the entire house seemed deserted. Where were the demons? Crowley and Bennett? As they rounded a corner and entered a front sitting room, Dean saw Pestis standing in the corner. He realized they had been duped. No wonder they had arrived at the house so much sooner than expected. Pestis had tricked them. Dean didn't have time to raise his shotgun, move a single step closer to Sam before he found himself on the ground moaning in pain.

His body felt like it was on fire and everything ached in a way that could only have been a supernatural flu. The Black Plague, to be exact, he realized. His chest ached and he found himself coughing and spitting up blood. Shifting onto his side, Dean shivered and caught Sam's eye. Sam's coughing grew weaker even as he watched, his breathing nothing more than pained gasps through narrowed airways. Dean reached out his arm, pulling himself closer to his brother. His ears were ringing, but he could just barely make out the sounds of Casey's voice in the background. Couldn't tell what she was saying. Couldn't hear over his own coughing, couldn't look up. Too weak.

Sam's hand twitched and met Dean's arm halfway. Dean felt his brother's weak grasp on his wrist and would have cursed if he'd had the breath to do so. As it was, he just spit out another mouthful of blood and prayed it would all be over soon. He watched Sam's eyes drift closed and he decided to let go.

* * *

The demon exploded in front of her. Bennett looked over at the other three. Each one of them now wore an expression of fear. She smiled and lifted her hand to fling one of the other demons against the far wall. He hung there suspended and she let him twist for a moment, before snapping a finger. And his neck.

"What are you?" One of the remaining demons shouted, backing away.

Bennett smiled wider, "Someone you shouldn't have messed with."

The two remaining demons started running for the door, but she painted a brick wall in front of them. They turned around as one. Bennett started crafting a new scene for them, packing 16 years of pent up anger into their very unique torture. She listened to their screams, enjoying every second of it. Her eyes slid over to Crowley. He was looking at her. She couldn't read his expression, but she looked at the chains and released him. He pushed himself slowly into a sitting position.

Bennett turned her attention back to the other demons.

* * *

Casey had known something was wrong as soon as they had entered the old farmhouse. It was a sense, nothing concrete, but she just had felt it in her bones. They were not at the house Crowley had sent them to. The house, the address on the mailbox, it had been an illusion. She'd watched a look of fear come over Dean's face when they'd heard Sam coughing somewhere in the front of the house. She'd actually had trouble keeping up with him as he tore through the house to get to his brother.

Reaching the front room, Casey's eyes had widened and her heart had nearly stopped. Sam looked about a minute away from death and when Dean had gone down, Casey had felt ice run through her veins. There was nothing she could do for them. Except deal with Pestis. She fired her shotgun at it, but the monster didn't even flinch.

"You again." Casey said, staring at the ugly beast, at a loss.

The melting head tilted slightly and the horrible dripping lips parted as Pestis spoke, "My maiden. You heard me call."

"You did this. You lured us here, tricked us." She glanced down at the boys, heartsick at realizing she couldn't hear Sam breathing anymore. And Dean was gasping like a fish out of water. "You've lived too long."

Pestis shook its head. "You are here now."

Just as the monster lifted the hands of the poor soul it had taken over, Dean stopped breathing. Something snapped deep inside Casey. Heat like a thousand suns exploding coursed through her and the windows and mirrors in the room broke into a thousand pieces. Her jaw tightened and she felt power like nothing she'd ever experienced running through her veins. Casey stared at Pestis and raised a hand.

The monster flew across the room and smashed clear through the wall.

* * *

"Stop!" Crowley called out hoarsely.

He was terrified. He'd never expected this. Never expected she would be this powerful. Never expected to watch two demons snuffed out before his eyes. The last two were writhing in mid-air, their bodies twisting in unreal positions. Bennett stood there, eyes on the demons, face a picture of concentration, hand up as she held the demons in some sort of trance.

"Bennett, you have to stop!" He shouted, trying to stand up. She was going to kill them all.

One of the demons suddenly tried to escape the body it was in. Bennett shook her head and raised her other hand. Crowley watched in complete shock as she destroyed the demon as easily as if it had been a fly she was swatting on a hot summer afternoon.

Dragging himself to his feet, Crowley tried once more to get through to the girl. Not easy since he didn't know a thing about her and had no clue what would motivate her. "Bennett, you have to stop! You took care of them. I'm free. Let it go."

"No." She said, glancing at him with a terrible smile. "I'm not finished yet."

The remaining demon screamed. Crowley shook his head. The room was pulsing and wind blew through it as if they were in the middle of a hurricane. He shouted the only thing he could think of, "Bennett, we have to go help Sam and Dean!"

She turned to look at him, the scary expression of cold indifference she'd been wearing, slipping away slightly. As if emerging from a trance, Bennett frowned and asked, "Sam?"

"They're looking for you. Can we please go?" He pleaded. He had to stop her.

"Yes." She nodded, smiling again. Her eyes returned to the last demon. "I'm done here."

Crowley threw himself to the side of the room and covered his head as the entire house blew apart.

* * *

Casey wasn't herself anymore. She felt like an outsider, an observer. What she was, she didn't know. But she was powerful. And focused. The part of Casey that was still herself wanted to cry and see if she could save Dean. The other part, the scary part she didn't understand or know how to control, walked right past the Winchester brothers and followed Pestis out the hole in the wall. The plague demon was standing outside, a look of white hot hatred on its melting face.

She was pretty sure her expression matched.

"You need to die!" Casey shouted. With an instinct she didn't understand, she lifted her hand and the demon went to its knees. She walked forward, ready to choke the life out of it when she felt searing pain in her head.

It was happening again. Just like at the hospital. Whatever this was she was doing, it was too much. She couldn't control it. Casey screamed in pain, watching as if through a fog as Pestis rose and laughed at her.

The monster came at her and Casey found herself on her back in the grass. Hot, wet hands closed around her throat and she felt her head slam against the ground. Choking back bile, Casey reached out a hand. A pitchfork from clear across the yard flew into her hand and she jammed it upward into the monster's body.

Pestis screamed an inhuman scream, releasing Casey's neck. As it fell sideways onto the ground, Casey pushed herself up. Shaking, she tried to get her hands to the neck of the plague demon to kill it for real this time. The hospital had just been practice.

But it screamed out of the body in billows of blue smoke rising into the sky then vanishing. Casey shouted in frustration and fell back over, her head exploding. Lying there for what seemed like forever, the part of Casey that wasn't completely hulking out remembered Dean. She rolled over and began crawling back to the front porch.

Never going to make it in time. Never. They were already dead. Casey felt tears running down her cheeks. She'd failed. Failed them all. Bennett was gone. Dean and Sam were dead and she'd let Pestis escape. Again. She looked up at the house through the dizzy waves assaulting her. Need to be there now.

Casey felt carpet beneath her hands. Not grass. She looked around in shock. She was in the house, on her hands and knees next to Dean's immobile body. Without even stopping to wonder how she'd gotten inside, she reached out an icy, shaking hand to feel for a pulse. He was gone. She sobbed and nearly collapsed.

Once more, something took over inside her. She felt her hand lift to his head as if pulled by an outside force. Watching her hand lower onto Dean's forehead, Casey felt like a puppet on a string. Suddenly, pain more intense than anything she could ever have imagined speared through her body. She felt like she was on fire, but Dean took a huge breath, eyes popping open. Casey felt dim relief somewhere in the back of her mind. She watched her other hand lift to Sam's forehead. A moment later, she sat back on her heels, watching them both cough and gasp.

_Alive._

Casey imagined Dean's smile as she shattered into nothingness.

* * *

_What did you think? :) This was intense... Casey's big secret comes out in the next chapter. Any guesses? Thanks for reading! _


	16. Chapter 16

_Hope you all had a Blessed Easter! _

_Be ready for some shocking revelations in this chapter as Casey's mysterious past (and power) is explained at last! We know you've been waiting a long time for this..._

* * *

**Thursday 1223  
****Farmhouse  
****Lewisburg, TN**

Air rushed into his lungs with enough force that Dean's eyes popped open and he gasped at the shock of it. He found himself staring into Sam's surprised eyes as he also gasped and tried to catch his breath. Unlike most times when returning to consciousness, Dean actually remembered everything. Vividly. What he didn't remember was how it was that he was breathing again. Considering everything, he actually didn't feel so terrible. How was that even possible? He rolled onto his back and sucked in a few more breaths. Felt good to not be dying of the plague. Not a good way to go. History had never felt so real…

"Dean!" Sam's choked off shout jolted him out of his split second of relief and Dean dragged himself to a sitting position. He followed Sam's pointing arm and saw Casey sprawled on the floor in the hallway, a good ten feet from where they were sitting.

On hands and knees, he propelled himself across the floor with a cry of desperation torn straight from his soul. Casey lay on her back, eyes wide open and, like at the hospital, they were glowing a terrifying steel grey. He reached out a shaking hand to touch her neck. No pulse.

"No!" Dean shook his head; tears burning his eyes and almost obliterating his vision. The only thing he could see clearly was the glowing grey of her eyes. A glow that was fading even as he watched. "No, Echo, please!"

"Dean."

Sam was at his side, trying to say something, but Dean couldn't focus on his voice. He just stared at those grey eyes. What had she done? She shouldn't have come…

"Dean, she's got a pulse."

Sam's voice was close to his ear. Dean let out a heavy sigh and found himself leaning against Sam's shoulder as he sank in relief. His finger reached out again and this time he felt it too. Weak. Very weak. Dean ran a hand across his face, wiping away the tears, as he sat up a bit more and tried to figure out how badly she was injured. She'd tangled with Pestis. There was no other explanation for it.

"Echo." He leaned closer and cupped her cheek. The grey faded from her eyes and suddenly she was blinking at him with her beautiful brown eyes. Dean almost laughed in relief. "Hey."

"Deano?" She mouthed his name.

"Who else?" Dean smiled, even though he felt sick inside. She was barely drawing breath and her pulse seemed to be skipping more beats than it was hitting. "Thought I told you to stop picking on the ugly kid in class."

"Dying."

"No, you are not." Dean said, probably louder than necessary.

Casey glared at him, "You were dying."

"Thank you for that." Sam interjected, sliding around to her other side.

"Welcome." Casey whispered, then her eyes slid closed.

Dean glanced up at Sam. Sam swallowed hard and shrugged, tears in his eyes. Dean looked back at Casey and said, "Don't close your eyes, Echo."

She blinked up at him, confusion on her face. "I know you."

"Yeah…"

"Long time ago…" her voice trailed off.

"Echo? Stay with me." Dean ordered, gently lifting her off the floor, praying she wasn't broken inside. Her head fit in the crook of his arm and she looked up at him again.

She whispered, "I'm tired."

"I know. Just stay with me, ok? You're going to be fine." Dean's voice broke. She was wilting in front of his eyes. Nothing left. No idea what had happened to her; how to fix her. He closed his eyes and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Cas!"

Dean was shouting himself hoarse. It physically hurt Sam to see him in so much pain. Sam kept a hand on Casey's wrist, praying her heart would keep beating. He'd assessed her as best as he could, but there was no way of knowing what was wrong with her. They didn't know what had happened to her, let alone how to help her. She was fading too fast for even the hope of reaching a hospital. Her lips were tinged with blue and she wasn't moving or responding at all despite Dean's shouts for Castiel. While Dean alternated between shouted threats and heartbreaking begging, Sam prayed. Prayed like he hadn't in years.

The world narrowed to the three of them. Even the potential threat of Pestis didn't register in that moment. Sam didn't understand why Dean felt so drawn to Casey Economou. It made no sense, but there was a deep bond between them. Just looking at Dean's face now, Sam knew that if Casey didn't make it, Dean just might not make it either.

"Please, Cas." Sam whispered even as Dean shouted the same words.

"Casey!" There was desperation in the deep voice. And it hadn't been Dean talking this time.

Sam looked up in shock. Cas stood in the middle of the sitting room where Pestis had been earlier. His eyes were on Casey. Sam had never seen the expression in his eyes before. Sheer panic and pain. Those he'd actually seen before, but this, this was beyond panic and pain. Cas looked utterly devastated. The angel stumbled forward, falling to his knees beside Dean.

"Cas." Dean whispered, looking up wearily. "Please. Help her."

A tear ran down Cas' cheek, catching Sam off guard. The angel slowly shook his head, "I can't…"

"Yes. Yes you can." Dean's voice took on a stronger tone again. His expression hardened. "Do it."

"Dean, if I heal her…" Cas sounded completely broken, his eyes never leaving Casey's pale face.

"Do it. Now."

Sam watched the conflict play across Cas' face. There was something very strange about how he was acting. Slowly, though, the angel nodded and reached out a hand. He touched Casey's forehead. Sam held his breath, and looked from Cas to Dean, then down to Casey. For a moment, everything stilled and he couldn't hear anything except for his own heart beat. His fingers held tight to Casey's wrist, waiting, hoping, praying for the moment when he'd feel her heartbeat grow stronger.

* * *

Dean held his breath and stared at Casey's lax face. Cas had not been easy to convince, and Dean couldn't think of any reason the angel wouldn't want to help Casey. But every time he thought he knew Cas, he usually got slapped in the face with ice water. Glancing up, Dean did a double take when he saw the tears streaming down Cas' face. It wasn't because of the effort of healing Casey; couldn't be. No, that was emotion, good old fashioned human emotion. Cas looked about as distraught as he himself felt.

Feeling movement, Dean lowered his eyes back to Casey. Color was coming back into her face and he felt her shift in his arms. Cas slowly sat back on his heels, but Dean noticed he kept a hand on Casey's ankle. Everything about this situation was weird, but if she was alive, he could deal with weird later.

"Echo?" Dean asked softly, hopefully.

Her eyes flickered open and met his immediately. She smiled, "Deano."

"Hey." Dean smiled back, insides feeling like jelly. He wiped a shoulder against his cheek to get rid of a stray tear. "Thought I told you to chill with the superpowers."

"I had to save you." She reached up a hand to touch his face.

"You almost died," Dean replied, closing his eyes as he leaned into her touch.

"But I didn't," she smiled at Dean. "Why didn't I?"

"Ahh, that would be me," Cas answered from his spot by her feet.

Casey twisted a bit in Dean's arms to get a better view of who was talking; she recognized that voice. Looking up at the man in the trench coat, she frowned. Flashes, shattered broken memories ran through her mind. Her head started to hurt again and she squeezed her eyes closed. Finding her voice, she asked, "You're Castiel, right?"

Cas nodded, frown deepening as Casey's already white face paled and she lifted a hand to press against her head. This was exactly what he had been afraid of; afraid that she wouldn't be able to handle the return of her memories. The return of _everything.__  
_

Dean panicked and looked to Cas, "What's going on? I thought you fixed her?"

"I tried to warn you, Dean," Cas replied, his voice breaking, "Tried to tell you that it would be dangerous..."

"I remember." Casey interrupted him. Her hand lowered as the shooting pain in her head eased. She looked at Dean and then to Cas and said, "I remember everything."

"Remember what everything?" Dean asked. His head was spinning and he wasn't sure if she was looking better or not. Her eyes were narrowed as she glared past him toward Castiel. Dean said, "You remember Pestis and…"

"Yes, of course, Deano," Casey nodded, "But it's more than that."

He shook his head in confusion, "What then?"

Lips tightly pressed together, Casey reached out a hand and grabbed Dean's shoulder to pull herself into a sitting position. She said to Castiel, "Why don't you tell Dean what I'm talking about. Dad."

"Dad?" Dean said at the same moment as Sam. They exchanged wide eyed stares. Dean looked down at Casey. _Something's wrong. She's got a concussion…_ Then he looked over at Cas. Cas' expression of distress had changed into his extremely guilty expression. He felt like he'd just been thrown off a bridge. He sat back slightly and exclaimed, "No freakin' way!"

"Oh, yes freakin' way." Casey said, pulling her legs under her, pushing herself up, using Dean as leverage. "Boys, meet Daddy."

"Echo, are you...are you sure you're feeling ok? That's Cas." Dean said, just in case there was a chance she was still confused, "He's an angel. Maybe he looks like…"

"I'm her father, Dean." Cas spoke softly.

"What?" Sam shook his head, "How...how did that happen?"

"The usual way." Cas replied sadly. "I fell in love."

Casey moved away from Dean and paced the room. She didn't need to hear this. Didn't _want_ to hear this. Didn't want to hear what was sure to follow; his explanation of why he'd done it. Why he'd stolen her memories. An overwhelming sorrow almost overcame her as she realized Dean didn't remember Purgatory.

"You did it to him too didn't you?" she asked Cas. Though it was barely a question considering she already knew the answer.

"Did what?" Dean asked, still reeling from the revelation that Cas had been in love. And that he had a daughter. And that _Casey_ was his daughter.

Casey had tears in her eyes when she looked at him. She said, "He stole your memories."

Dean looked from her to Cas and back again, "What are you talking about? What memories?"

"You two have acted like you've known each other somehow almost from the beginning!" Sam exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "You _did_ know each other before."

"Yes." Casey nodded, "We were in Purgatory together, Dean."

"Purgatory?" Dean asked, completely unable to make sense of anything. "What are you talking about?"

"I was there. I was looking for my father." Casey said, glancing at Castiel, then back at Dean. "I was looking for him and I found you." She smiled, "I found you and we fell in love."

Dean frowned, trying to remember any of this. He remembered Purgatory, but he didn't remember Casey. But Sam had been right when he'd said they'd known each other from before. All along, he'd felt something connecting him to Casey. Dean remembered the nightmares. The disjointed flashbacks. He looked at Cas.

"Did you take our memories?" He asked in a low growl. Anger burned through him. "Why, Cas? Why would you do that?"

Cas shook his head. "I had to."

"Why?"

"To protect you." Cas said, looking at Casey. "We were separated. You were missing for days and Dean had the chance to get out."

"So you Men In Blacked me?" Dean asked, "You wiped my memories of Casey?"

Cas nodded, "It was the only way you would have left, Dean. You never would have left Purgatory if you had remembered her."

Dean clenched his fists; only Casey's hand on his shoulder restrained him from punching Cas in the face. Casey said, "I remember everything now. Dean, he wiped your memory and let you go through the portal. He stayed behind to look for me. He found me and told me you were safe and out. Then he wiped my memory." She looked at Cas, "You manipulated me."

"I did it to keep you safe, Casey." Cas tried to explain, "If I hadn't..."

"No, you changed my memories for your own selfish gain. You did it to protect yourself! If you knew anything about me, even from Purgatory, you would know that I got really good at protecting myself!" Casey shouted at him. She took a calming breath and said, "Fix him. Do it now."

Cas nodded and raised a hand. Dean felt something break free inside him. Images, memories assaulted him as Purgatory came flooding back. He remembered everything. Arriving there with Cas. Fighting, endless fighting. The day a girl with an angel blade had saved his life. For the _first_ time. Everything made complete sense. Angry as he was with Cas, Dean turned back to Casey and smiled at her.

"Hey, didn't I promise you a beer when we got out of purgatory?" He asked, heart and mind finally at peace.

"That's two you owe me, Winchester." Casey grinned, "Counting the one I get for salting and burning your elevator ghost in Pensacola."

Dean nodded, "Two it is."

Casey smiled at Dean. Everything finally made sense. She loved him and he loved her. No more disjointed memories. No more wondering why he seemed so familiar. For the moment nothing mattered except that they both remembered. Dean took a step toward Casey and wrapped his arms around her. She placed a hand on his cheek in return.

"I love you," Casey whispered, looking into Dean's green eyes.

"I love you too, Casey." Dean smiled, knowing that no matter what, his love for this one girl would never change. They'd shared too much. Dean leaned down to touch his lips to Casey's. They two shared a kiss unlike any other. This kiss held every stolen moment they had shared. The moments stolen from Purgatory and the moments they never shared when they left.

Sam cleared his throat, "Uh guys? I hate to break up this happy reunion, but we still need to find Bennett."

"In a minute, Sammy," Dean mumbled against Casey's lips.

"No, he's right," Casey said, breaking the kiss. "We need to find her and Crowley and regroup."

"Agreed," Dean said, disappointed. He took Casey's hand as they walked to the door of the old farmhouse. "Let's roll."

"What about me?" Cas asked, still wearing a heart-broken expression.

"You can ride with us," Sam offered. Despite the palpable anger he could feel radiating off Dean and Casey, he felt sorry for Cas.

"But in the back," Dean added as they approached the Impala.

Sam snorted, "Danged right in the back."

"Great. Awkward family road-trip," Casey said. "Can't wait."

Dean gave Casey one last kiss as they went to get in the car. Softly, he said, "He doesn't have to go with us if you don't want him to."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it." Casey smiled, "I'll have my long lost dad moment after we find Bennett."

"Okay," Dean smiled and closed the door behind Casey. Somehow he almost felt sorry for Cas when he considered what that long lost dad moment might look like. Then he thought about all the memories Cas had ripped from him and Casey and he didn't feel so bad anymore. He slid behind the wheel and started the car and peeled out of the driveway. It was time to find Bennett and deal with whatever else was thrown their way.

* * *

**Thursday 1400  
****Another Farmhouse  
****Somewhere outside of Lewisburg, TN**

"Holy crap!" Dean breathed out, stopping the Impala on the side of the road.

He glanced over at Sam. Sam was staring out the window, expression blank. Except Dean could see the fear in his eyes. Dean looked back at the scene before them. There had been a house once. Now it was spread in all directions, flat on the ground. Walls blown straight outward. Like a nuclear bomb had gone off inside, flattening the house and everything around it. Dean shook his head. This didn't look good at all. _Crowley, you said you'd protect her._

From the backseat, Casey said, "What in the world happened?"

"This is the scene of great destruction." Cas shook his head slowly, as they all stepped out of the car.

"Understatement, Cas." Dean shook his head, raising his shotgun. "You sure this is the right address this time, Sam?"

Sam nodded.

Dean swallowed hard against the lump in his throat. The chances they were going to find anyone alive in this wreckage seemed pitifully slim. Casey was at his side and she gave him a hopeful, but brief, smile. Dean looked over her head to Cas. He asked, "Cas, you sense anyone?"

The angel twisted his face up and tilted his head. His expression twisted into disgust as he said, "The demon."

"What?" Sam asked, pushing in front of Dean to get to Cas. "What about Bennett?"

Cas shook his head slowly, frown deepening. "I don't know."

Dean felt his heart sink and watched as Sam took off at a run toward the wreckage. He ran after Sam. If there was any chance Bennett was still alive, he was going to be there to help drag her out. All four of them spread out around the house and began sifting through the mess. They'd only been digging for a moment before a familiar voice spoke to them.

"Some rescue, boys."

"Crowley." Sam spun on his heel to face the demon. "Where's Bennett?"

Dean stared at Crowley. He looked awful. Worse than he'd ever seen him look, in fact. He'd been tortured. That was evident. Face pale and bloody, he had pulled himself out from under a piece of the roof and was leaning over, hands on his knees.

"Gone." Crowley said weakly. "She's gone."

"Gone where?" Sam grabbed him by the shirt, yanking him upright. "Who took her?"

Crowley shook his head, wiping at the blood on his face, "No one took her. Look around you. You see this place? You see what she did?"

Sam frowned, "She? Bennett?"

"Yes, your sweetheart took it to the next level. She destroyed four demons and nearly got me killed." Crowley straightened and yanked himself free from Sam's grasp. "I tried to rein her in."

"What did you do to her?" Sam moved closer, ready to strike.

Crowley glared at him, "I told her how to harness her ability so we could get out of this place. But she wouldn't let up."

"What are you talking about?" Dean interjected, stepping closer in case he had to drag Sam away from Crowley.

"She snapped. I've...I've never seen anyone do what she did with so little practice." Crowley shook his head; fear in his eyes.

"And what, she just walked away?" Dean asked incredulously. "We're in the middle of nowhere."

"I don't know." Crowley glared and motioned behind himself. "I was a little buried under a house at the time. You should have taught her the Winchester password. Might have saved us all a lot of trouble."

For a moment, there was silence. Dean glanced back at the house. If Crowley hadn't actually seen her go anywhere, there was a chance she really was buried under the wreckage. He saw the despair on Sam's face as he registered the same thought. Dean was about to start digging when Casey spoke up.

"I can't believe she did this." Her voice was awed.

"Pretty neat, huh?"

Dean just about broke his neck turning to look behind Casey. Bennett stood there, smiling and looking like she didn't have a care in the world. She looked fine. All in one piece. Not even a tear in her black tights or a scratch on her face. _What in the…_

"Bennett!" Sam said, rushing over to her side, "Are you alright? Where have you been?"

She shrugged and waved a hand vaguely. "I was looking for a house with a phone. Or a car. Although I guess I don't really know how to drive." She smile brightly, "But I could have figured it out."

Dean laughed. Her composure was something to behold. "I'm sure you could have."

Her smile faded just a little as she looked up at him, "I'm sorry, Dean. I know you told me not to use my powers...I'm sorry."

"Hey," Dean shook his head, "It's ok. You did good. We were waylaid by Pestis, so if you hadn't done what you did, who knows what those demons would have done to you."

She shivered and started to ask something, but they were interrupted by the sounds of sudden shouting. Turning around, Dean's eyes widened at the scene in front of him. Castiel stood on Casey's left and Crowley was on her right. Both men wore twin expressions of fury.

Cas shouted, "Get away from my daughter" at the exact instant Crowley shouted, "Get away from my goddaughter."

It was as if he'd gone deaf. The silence that followed was incredible. Dean looked from Cas to Casey to Crowley and back again. Casey looked furious, but Cas and Crowley seemed completely and utterly floored. In fact, Dean didn't think he had ever seen them look so surprised. After a moment of shocked silence, their eyes narrowed and they said simultaneously, "What?"

Dean busted out laughing. He said, "For real? And we thought we had family drama, Sammy!"

Sam just shook his head, one hand on Bennett's shoulder, the other casually keeping his shotgun trained on Crowley. Dean knew he was itching to shoot the demon.

Cas narrowed his eyes at Casey and said sternly, "He's your godfather?"

"What?" Casey had a hand on her hip. "Is that a problem, Dad?"

Dean shook his head, staring from one to the other. Casey had an eerily familiar expression of displeasure on her face. Her lips were pressed together tightly and her eyes narrowed. Just like her..._father,_ Dean thought to himself incredulously. Never in a million years would he have dreamed it, or even been able to see it, but now that he knew, he couldn't ignore the resemblance.

Cas turned his evil stare of death on to Crowley. His voice lowered impossibly with the fury in his words, "What right do you have to be in her life?"

"I was there for her." Crowley shrugged, his shock melting away into amusement. "I watched her grow up. Her first word was "eat" and let me tell you the girl hasn't stopped eating since. I bought her a pony like a good uncle. Where were you, Cas? All those years?"

The angel remained silent, his megawatt glare piercing Crowley.

"Uncle Crowley?" Dean shook his head in complete disbelief, turning to Casey. "You call Crowley your uncle and you didn't think to tell us?"

"Yeah, isn't it just fan-freaking-tastic!" Casey raised her hands into the air, "I have a demon for an uncle and an angel for a dad."

"One big dysfunctional family." Dean grinned.

"Don't even start." Casey snapped at him, unamused. "It hasn't exactly been an easy life. Crowley's been in my family for as long as I can remember."

"What? You're kidding right?"

"Last time I checked, I don't have to justify my family to you Dean Winchester!"

Crowley grinned, "Aww, Casey, love, I'm touched..

"Zip it! Before I send your butt back to hell for good!" Casey shouted, losing her cool.

Dean glanced at Sam. They shared an amused look, then Dean cleared his throat. "If I can interrupt this little family...'

"No!" Three voices shouted at him.

Sam tilted his head toward the Impala and Dean nodded. Maybe it would be wiser to let the happy little family have a private moment to iron out their issues. If that was even possible. Of all the freaky things he'd seen over the years, this had to be one of the freakiest.

* * *

"What in the world, man." Dean shook his head, repacking the gear in the trunk. He needed a distraction. Needed to be doing something. In the space of a couple hours, he'd gotten memories back from purgatory that he hadn't even known he'd lost, found out that Cas was…._holy crap, he's her father!_ Cas was the father of the woman he loved. _Not thinking about that, not thinking about that..._

Dean slammed the trunk harder than necessary and cringed. _Sorry, Baby._ He huffed out a breath and looked back across the yard where the not-so-happy family stood shouting at each other.

"I don't know, Dean. This is really weird." Sam muttered, leaning against the car. "Cas...in love. And he's uh, a dad. I just can't wrap my head around that."

"What exactly does that make Casey, Sammy?" Dean asked with a frown. "Half angel, half human?"

"Nephilim." Briefly, Sam explained the lore. "That's probably why Cas is so overprotective. And why he wiped your memories. Nephilims shouldn't exist, Dean. If anyone finds out... He was trying to protect her."

"He has a funny way of doing it." Dean muttered, "At least it explains her superpowers."

"And they are superpowers." Sam said seriously, catching Dean's eye. "She's much more powerful than most angels are, Dean."

"Poor Cas." Dean said, watching as Casey got right up in the angel's face. He couldn't hear what she was saying, but even Crowley looked afraid. Dean frowned, catching a whiff of smoke. He glanced to his right and found Bennett sitting on the hood of the Impala. He stalked toward her and pulled her down. "Move it."

"What?" She looked up in confusion.

"Away from my Baby with that. The smoke will get all over her."

"It's already all over me." Bennett said, taking a few steps away.

Dean kept moving toward her, causing her to keep walking backwards away from the car. He said, "I know that. And you're just lucky I'm not in the habit of leaving girls in the middle of nowhere. Shoo."

Bennett's eyes widened, but she didn't drop her cigarette.

"Dean, leave her alone, would you?" Sam called to him. He had a smile on his face, but there was a warning in his voice.

"Finish that before you come near my car." Dean waved a finger at Bennett. She nodded hastily, eyes still wide and a bit fearful. Dean headed back to the car, watching as the rest of their group started walking back over toward them.

"Looks like the family reunion is over." Sam said softly.

Dean joined him and said, "I'm actually concerned about what's going to happen next."

Sam agreed.

As it was, the trio must have worked out most of their issues before they walked over to the car. Not one of them looked happy, but they weren't shouting anymore, and the confrontation hadn't come to blows.

"Let's go." Casey said. "We need to pick up my car and get out of here."

Dean nodded, "Ok." He held his breath and hoped that Cas and Crowley were going to take the fast route. The thought of all of them in one car for a long trip back to town did not sound at all like fun. Casey yanked open the back door and slid in.

Crowley glared at Cas, then said, "Enjoy the drive, boys."

_Good,_ Dean thought in relief. Now if only Cas would… He got in the car after Casey._ Crap._ So they were going to be stuck with family drama after all. Sam moved around to the passenger side as Bennett came skipping back over, cigarette extinguished. She looked at Dean hesitantly, hopefully. He shook his head and waved a hand at the back seat. Bennett smiled and, instead of walking around to the other door, she just pushed in next to Cas who then had to slide over. Casey slid all the way over to the far door, a look of irritation on her face. Dean shut the door and headed for the front seat.

_This is going to be a very long drive..._

* * *

_So? What'd ya think? :D We are turning the corner, folks. Secrets are out, the girls know how to use their superpowers (mostly at least)...Time to gank us a plague demon! Hope you'll stick around for the ride... _


	17. Chapter 17

_Welcome back! Time to see how things unfold now that everyone knows Cas' big secret... _

* * *

**Thursday 1530  
****Motel  
****Lewisburg, TN**

Bennett hadn't shut up the entire trip.

Dean had a hard time not laughing as Cas found himself peppered with questions from start to finish. The angel probably regretted not having taken the quick trip with Crowley. Casey had stared out the window and pretty much ignored everything going on in the car, although Dean had even caught her smiling at times. Sam had grinned like an idiot as Bennett asked Cas about...well, everything.

Apparently getting her power under control had broken down all her barriers. They'd never heard her talk so much. And it was evident that she had over a decade of questions saved up. Having an angel at her disposal was like Christmas. Dean listened in amusement as Cas continued to answer every question with a surprising amount of patience. Dean realized that there was a good chance Castiel was happy to be talking to Bennett rather than experiencing another confrontation with his daughter.

Dean glanced back in the rearview mirror as he turned down the road that lead to their motel. Cas, sandwiched between the girls, looked about as lost and miserable as he ever had. His eyes caught Dean's and, in Cas' eyes, Dean could just see the silent plea _make her stop_! Dean grinned back at him and gave him a thumbs up. Cas had skipped out on Casey's childhood so he'd never been around a kid going through the "why" phase. Served him right to have to sit there and answer all of Bennett's _life, the universe, and everything _questions.

The ugly, cheap motel was nothing if not a sight for sore eyes when they pulled up. Dean parked next to Casey's Mustang and they all piled out of the car. It was only slightly disconcerting when Crowley opened the door for them, a smile on his face.

"Welcome home everyone."

"Shut up, Crowley." Dean glowered at him and pushed into the room. The moment they were all inside, Dean grabbed one of the two chairs, and pulled it into the center of the room. He said, "Everybody sit."

He got frowns or glares all around except for Bennett who immediately dropped to the nearest bed and looked up at him in rapt attention. Dean nodded at her, "Thank you. Everyone else. Sit."

Casey sat down next to Bennett while Sam quickly took the other chair. Cas and Crowley shot each other hateful glares, and sat down as far apart as they could on the second bed. Dean sat down and stared at each of them in turn. _What a weird bunch_.

"Time to lay it all out on the table, folks." Dean started. "Like it or not, we seem to be working together. So it's time to actually act like it. No more lies, no more holding things back." He paused, and asked, "There aren't any other freaky family connections here we need to know about, right?"

Crowley laughed, Casey and Cas just glared at him. Dean shrugged, "Thought I should check. Alright. We've got Abbadon trying to raise hell, literally. She's got her demons out hunting for Bennett. We've got Pestis who seems to have a thing for Casey. What we don't have is an answer as to how to stop all of this."

For a moment, no one spoke, then Sam asked, "Did you get Bennett out of hell, Cas?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Cas hesitated, leaning forward and squeezing his hands together, avoiding everyone's eyes.

"Hey." Dean said sternly, "Spit it out, Cas. You heard what I said. We need the whole truth here if anyone is going to survive this."

"Pestis isn't what you think it is." Cas said, hesitating and tilting his head as he looked up at Dean. He looked shifty and uncomfortable. "It is far more dangerous than you imagine."

"So what is it, exactly?" Casey asked, glancing over at Crowley. "You said it was a demon, Crowley."

"It is." Crowley agreed. He tilted his head and shifted to stare at the angel next to him, "It is, isn't it?"

Cas looked pained as he squinted at Crowley. He said, "Yes. And no."

"Cas, just spit it out would you?" Dean said in exasperation, "Stop beating around the bush. What the heck is Pestis?"

"A nightmare born of great evil." Cas said somberly. "Pestis is the unholy mix of a demon and an angel. This beast is exponentially more powerful than either an angel or a demon alone."

"Of course it is." Dean muttered, "Who spawned it?"

Cas shrugged, "No one really knows. It was formed in your Dark Ages, of powerful magic in the Gobi Desert." He turned his stare from Dean back over to Crowley, "We waged a war against it that nearly rent Europe in pieces."

"Why are you glaring at me?" Crowley asked indignantly, "I wasn't there."

"I'm glaring at you because you are evil." Cas said, then pursed his lips as he continued to glare at the demon.

"Do not make me separate you two." Dean threatened. He wanted to throttle both of them. _Like dealing with five year olds... _"Cas, get on with it. War in Europe."

"We finally were able to remove Pestis from the…" He hesitated, glancing over at the girls before refocusing on Dean. "The human host. We did not have the power, the ability, to completely defeat Pestis. We did not know exactly what we needed to do."

Sam asked, "Do you now?"

Cas had that cagey look again. "Yes. We were able to determine a spell that should allow us to destroy the abomination."

"Good. What do we need to do?" Casey asked, ready to get moving on the process.

She saw distress on her father's face. Even though she still happened to be angry with him, she was concerned by the way he was acting. They hadn't had much time to be a family in Purgatory, but she'd spent her life looking for him and it had felt amazing to finally know her father. Angry as she was right now, Casey cared about him and knew he cared about her, even if he had an unusual way of showing it at times.

Cas grimaced, then said, "It will be far from simple. We did the easy part before when we got Pestis out of the carrier...and that act alone cost many lives."

"But that was an immune host, right?" Casey clarified. "So it should be easier now that Pestis is just in whoever it can find, right? It would be more difficult to get it out of…" She hesitated and stopped herself before saying Bennett. "Out of an immune host, right?"

"Yes. Even so, it will not be easy." Cas said, standing up to pace the room. "Pestis is free right now, hopping from carrier to carrier. In this form, it is weaker."

Dean said, "Well that's good, right? Weaker is better. Casey..."

Cas leveled a glare at Dean and cut him off before he could finish the thought, "My daughter nearly died to save your life. She is not going anywhere near Pestis ever again."

"You don't get to tell me what I can or can't do, Dad." Casey said, trying not to be angry; it actually felt pretty good to have someone care about her like that. She said, "I've been a hunter a lot longer than you've been my acting like my father. So we can argue about everything later. Just tell us what we need to do, ok?"

Cas nodded, but he didn't look happy. He said, "We need to find a spell written at the time of the Black Death. It will most likely be found in a book written around the time of the outbreak. The spell will unbind the demon from the angel."

"Then we can exorcise the demon?" Sam leaned forward. "That's the plan?"

"No," Cas said, "Unfortunately, no typical means will work against Pestis since it has been bound together for so long. The easiest way, of course, is to allow Pestis to inhabit its chosen carrier, then, using the spell, an angel blade and your demon killing knife, the beast can be destroyed by sending the angel, demon and host all straight to the pit."

Crowley nodded knowingly, "Which is why you dragged that poor girl out of hell."

Sam shook his head and stood up. He said, "That is _not_ going to happen."

"That may be easiest, Cas, but it isn't happening." Dean agreed, sensing his brother would be more than happy to punch both Cas and Crowley. "So drop it. What is the more complicated option?"

"The spell. And you will need the plague maiden's red scarf." Cas said after a moments hesitation. "The scarf is how she would announce herself at the home she was infecting. That is necessary for the spell."

"Great. Where do we get it?" Dean asked. "Please, nobody say Europe."

"The museum." Casey smiled. "There's a traveling exhibit at the museum right now. It's about European folk art. One of the paintings is of the plague maiden at the door of a house. Along with the painting, the scarf that supposedly belonged to the plague maiden is on exhibit."

"Great." Sam said, "What about the book?"

Casey shrugged, "We have an entire library and there were some books sent along with the exhibit. I mean, the exhibit is about folk art, but there's a chance we can find something."

Dean stood up. "OK. So Chicago it is."

"It's an eight hour drive." Sam supplied, glancing at his watch.

"Well, I say we leave now and get there." Casey said, "I want this all to be over. We can stay at my place and then head to the museum tomorrow sometime after we all get some sleep. There's a Gala tomorrow evening." She rolled her eyes, "I'm actually supposed to be presenting at the opening of the new exhibit."

"That works." Dean nodded. He glanced around the room. Casey's stuff was still sprawled around the room along with some of their gear. "Lets pack it up folks and get on the road."

"Can I have money?" Bennett asked suddenly.

"No." Dean said immediately, knowing exactly why she wanted it.

Sam just shook his head and motioned to the door, "Come on."

Dean watched Bennett hop up and practically run after Sam. He called out, "Stop enabling her! Buy her some Nicorette gum."

As soon as they were gone, Casey turned to Crowley and Castiel. She pointed at Crowley. "You. Outside now. And wait there. I want to talk to you."

Dean couldn't have been more surprised when Crowley simply nodded and walked out the door, politely closing it behind him. There was something very unique about their relationship, that was for sure. He wanted to know. All of it. He had so many questions, but sensed right now was not the time for it.

Casey turned to Cas and unleashed her remaining frustrations. "You do not get to have a say in what I do. I grew up my entire life hearing stories from Mom about you. She loved you so much and never had one single bad thing to say about you. But you weren't there."

Dean felt like he should leave. _Running might be good._ But if he moved a muscle, he was afraid it would just be more distracting. Casey had evicted Crowley. If she'd wanted him to leave, she would have told him to. So he held his breath.

"I was ok not having a normal life." Casey went on. "I was even ok with knowing you had to be in Heaven because you were an angel. But what I wasn't ok with was that you never, ever came back. Not once. I understood you were a different kind of dad, and I was ok with that, but why couldn't you have just tried to get to know me once? You were never there."

"I watched over you." Cas said softly, eyes on the carpet. It was clear he knew his platitudes were too little too late.

"You watched over me huh? Then where were you when Jake was using me as a punching bag? Where were you when mom died?" Casey's voice broke. Shaking her head, she let the anger pull her past the sorrow. "You want to give Crowley a hard time? _He_ was there for me. He told me to stay away from Jake. Crowley got me into college. You were never there. Not once."

"I was there. You weren't allowed to know."

"No! You weren't. And you know what? You've been on Earth a long time now, Dad. You treat these boys like they are the only family you have. Well maybe they are." Casey wasn't exactly sure what she was saying, but it felt good. She'd been thrilled to find her father. Purgatory hadn't been fun, but it she'd been fighting alongside her father and a man she'd fallen in love with. But her father had left her again once they'd left Purgatory and she wasn't sure she could forgive him this time. "I think you should leave now."

"Casey. Please." Cas' voice was heartbreaking and the tears flowed down his cheeks unabated.

"Just go." Casey said quietly as a single tear fell down her face.

* * *

For a moment after Cas vanished, the room was silent. Dean didn't know what to think or say. He was furious at Cas; for a lot of reasons actually. But he also felt sorry for his friend. He didn't understand how it had happened, but somewhere along the line, Cas had really been in love and it sounded like Casey's mom had loved him an awful lot too. _Completely changing the way I look at Cas…_ He cleared his throat.

"So," Dean started, trying to figure out a way to start a conversation delicately. _Yeah, I got nothing._ He said, "Cas is your dad, huh?"

"You don't miss much, do you?" Casey asked, shoving something that looked like a torture instrument into her bag.

"Are you ok with all of this?" _Dumb question, Dean, obviously she isn't._

"Peachy keen."

"You sure? Because I'm sensing through the violent way you're packing your bag there that maybe you're not." Dean said, grimacing as she threw a brush down into the duffle bag.

She still didn't look up at him, concentrating on packing an assortment of bottles and creams. Casey said, "Look, Dean, I appreciate your concern, but I really just want to be alone for a minute or two."

He hesitated, then nodded, "Yeah, ok. But I'm here if you need anything."

"Thanks, Deano." The packing paused and she looked up at him with a quick smile. "Hey."

"Yeah?" Dean asked, pausing by the door.

"Send Crowley in will you?"

"Sure." Dean shook his head and walked back over to Casey. "He's really your godfather? How does that even work? I mean, he acts like he really listens to you and, well, like he cares about you."

Casey nodded. "Long story. My great-granny Beatrice met up with him on a hunt. He kind of was in love with her. She used a spell on him and basically trapped him."

"Trapped?"

"He's kind of our indentured servant." She smiled. "He's forbidden from harming our bloodline and he has to do what we say. There are caveats and loopholes, and he knows all of them, but he's actually pretty loyal. My mom had grown up with him and when I was born, he became my godfather. I grew up with him dropping in and he was just always funny old Uncle Crowley. He'd bring me presents, he asked me about my grades, was involved with my life. It wasn't till I was older that I found out the whole story."

Dean shook his head, "Wow."

Casey said, "Tell me about it." She zipped up her bag and said, "Give me a minute with Crowley and then I'm ready to go."

"OK. I'll send him in. If you need backup, just holler." He kissed her cheek and left the room.

* * *

"What about chocolate?" Sam asked, holding up a bag of peanut M&Ms.

Bennett tilted her head and frowned. "Doesn't chocolate make you fat?"

"In excess, anything will make you fat."

"Then I can't eat them every time I want to smoke or I will get fat." Bennett countered, then chewed her lip and frowned at the candy display.

Sam put the bag back, but she grabbed it with a smile. He smiled and said, "Thought you didn't want them."

"I want _this_ bag. What else?"

_What else?_ They'd walked across the street to a gas station and it didn't have a lot of options. He'd agreed to buy her one more pack of cigarettes, but only one more pack. They'd grabbed some Nicorette gum, as Dean had suggested, but now they were trying to find something else to distract her. She was smoking because of some sort of left over teenage rebellion, but it was more than that. Watching Bennett roam the shop, Sam realized that, probably more than anything else, she was bored. She was wandering the country with them on a mission, but she wasn't a hunter. She was basically a kid. Sure, she was his age, but she'd only been 15 when her life had been turned upside down. If anyone needed a distraction, Bennett did. But what?

He followed her as she walked past the auto supplies. Sam asked, "Bennett, what do you like to do?"

She turned and frowned at him. "What do you mean?"

"Hobby? Anything you...used to like to do?" He almost felt bad for asking when her dark eyes lowered and she shrugged a shoulder.

"I don't know." Bennett said, glancing up at him quizzically. "I don't remember. And I haven't done anything for so long." She brushed stray strands of hair out of her face and smiled, "What am I supposed to do, Sam?"

Sam hated how lost she looked. She didn't even have a starting place. They had to find something, something to give her direction, a purpose. Maybe for now it would have to be a bag of peanut M&Ms and some gum to get her beyond a habit formed from an unhappy past. Maybe that was all they could do for now. He smiled, "You're supposed to help us."

"And let Pestis…"

"No!" Sam practically shouted. He touched her shoulder and lowered his voice, "No. That is never going to happen."

"But how am I supposed to help you?" She looked desperate, "I don't understand any of this. It's weird. You and Dean and Casey, you all just work together so easily. It's your life. You're all hunters and his all makes sense to you. Me, I don't even have a clue who I am or what I'm supposed to be. How am I any help?"

Sam said, "You've already saved my life. You are helping, even if you don't feel like you are."

She shrugged helplessly and followed him to the cash register. She was silent while he paid, but when the walked out the door to head back to the motel, Bennett said, "I can help you, Sam."

"Yeah, I know." Sam said, glad she seemed to be feeling better about it. He handed her the bag from the store.

Bennett took the bag, then said, "I mean, I've got this superpower now…"

"No."

"What?" She stopped moving as if he'd slapped her. "Why not? I'm like, I don't know, some kind of ninja chick."

"Bennett, you can't use that power." Sam cautioned as they started walking again. He hated this. Hated that they were discussing this. Hated the memories all of it was bringing up for him. He said, "We don't know what…"

"What I could do?" Bennett asked. She grinned, "I took out _demons_! I didn't even get a headache or anything. I have it figured out now and I can use it to…"

Sam grabbed her arm and stopped her. "No. Absolutely not. I know you got it to work for you back there, and I'm glad you're ok, but that power...you can't mess with that, Bennett."

"Why not?" She asked in confusion, "I've been using it almost half my life. Now, I finally know how to _really _use it. For a good purpose. In fact," she tilted her head, smiled and snapped her fingers, "I just took out a demon ten miles up the road from us!"

"What?" Sam frowned at her. "What do you..."

"I just sensed him and did what Crowley taught me, Sam!" Bennett grinned. "I don't even have to be that close anymore. Can you imagine? I actually can help you guys out a lot! Think of how many demons I can..."

Sam shook his head, grabbing her shoulders and looking her straight in the eyes. "Bennett, you can't use it."

"Why shouldn't I use it? It's all I've got."

"It's not all you've got…"

Bennett pulled away from him. Tears filled her eyes and she looked a bit panicky. She said, "Oh? What else do I have? Nothing. I have no money, no life, no family, _nothing._ Just 16 years in hell." Her voice rose and her eyes grew desperate as she tried to get him to understand, "But I have this power, I can do something good with it, Sam. I can help."

"It's dangerous." Sam shook his head. He all too easily remembered when he'd also had an ability he thought he could use for good. An ability he'd thought he could control. "It's too dangerous, Bennett."

"No, no it's not, Sam." She tried again to make him understand, "I know what I'm doing and I can help."

"Please, please, just trust me on this." Sam pleaded. He could tell she was hurt, but it was more important that she was safe. "You can _not_ use this power."

Bennett scrubbed a tear off her face and asked quietly, "Why are you so against me using it? You don't trust me, do you?"

Sam shook his head, "It's not that, Bennett. It's not, ok? Believe me, I know about this power." He hated to say it, but he knew it was time to admit exactly how he knew so much about the power.

"I got into a lot of trouble because of it…." He started to explain, but it was too late.

"Well I'm not you." Bennett snapped and started walking away.

* * *

"I think he's lying to us." Casey said bluntly as soon as Crowley entered the room and closed the door behind himself.

"Excuse me?" Crowley raised an eyebrow and studied her in consideration. He knew exactly what she was talking about, but he didn't want _her_ to know that. So he feigned innocence. "Who is lying about what?"

"My father is lying to all of us."

Crowley perched on the edge of the table and shot her a slight smile, "What? An angel lie?"

Casey wasn't amused. "There's something...just off. I don't know what it is, but he is not telling us the truth."

"About what?"

"Pestis." She shook her head, arms folded across her chest. "I can't put my finger on it, but he is not telling us everything. Something just seemed odd about the whole spell thing."

_Well, it certainly did_, Crowley agreed. Again, he kept it to himself. The spell thing had been an amatuer mistake. Crowley could have thought up several more interesting fables to weave, but Castiel had never really struck him as the brightest firecracker in the bunch. _More of the kid who just passes class because a Winchester feels sorry for him._ With a grin, Crowley said, "Casey, love, I think you're just overwrought."

She shot him a glare.

Crowley held up a hand, "Castiel isn't exactly the most upfront type of guy, but he's not lying."

"How would you know?" Casey asked doubtfully.

"Because he's right about the spell." Crowley lied easily. The relaxation in Casey's features indicated that he was a much better liar than Castiel was. He stood up. Time to get out of here. He put his hands on her shoulders. "Casey, stop worrying. Get what you need and get rid of that monster. For all our sakes."

She nodded, seeming reassured. "Ok. We'll work on it. Where are you going to be?"

"Around." He smiled enigmatically, then added seriously, "Be careful."

"I will." She nodded.

Crowley disappeared from the motel room. _Time to talk to Daddy…_

* * *

Dean shut the trunk of the Impala at the same moment Casey came out of the motel room with her bag. She smiled at him, looking more relaxed. He smiled back and asked, "All set?"

"I'm good to go." Casey nodded.

"Are you sure?" Dean asked. He couldn't imagine what she was going through. She just got her memories back and found out she not only had a dad, but that her dad was an angel. Sure the shock got to him too, but he was the one on the outside. She was living it.

"Yeah, I'm all packed and…" Casey started.

"That's not what I meant. Casey… talk to me. Please?" Dean stepped closer and took her hand in his. "I'm not a mind reader, you're gonna have to help me out. What are you thinking?"

"Honestly, I don't know what to think. I don't know what to do with any of this. My dad is an angel, I'm half angel or whatever. And I _knew_ all of that." She shook her head, "I grew up knowing all of it...it's just since purgatory that I forgot. This is all just so insane. On top of everything I find out that I have a long lost lover that I met in another dimension." Casey said, the panic creeping into her voice. She felt tears sting her eyes as she looked up at him. "And that is all great and everything because I love you, but it's a lot you know?"

"Hey. Hey, come here!" Dean said, taking her into his arms. "Everything is going to be okay. We're going to figure this out." Dean placed a kiss on the top of Casey's hair and prayed that they would figure everything out. He smiled, "Besides, you've got me, right? We can deal with anything."

Casey snorted against his chest, but she relaxed a little more.

They stood there, leaning against the trunk of the Impala for a moment, then Dean saw Sam and Bennett walking back from the gas station across the street. Bennett was several steps ahead of Sam and she looked extremely upset. Dean glanced down at Casey who pulled back from him slightly and shrugged. Before Dean could say anything, or ask what was going on, Bennett brushed past them and yanked open the passenger side door of Casey's Mustang. She got in and slammed the door.

"I guess you have a co-pilot, Echo." Dean remarked softly. "What in the world just happened?"

Casey smiled and said, "I'll find out." She stood on tiptoes to give him a kiss. "Stay in touch, ok?"

"Yeah." He nodded. Watching her as she opened her door, Dean called out, "Uh, Casey? I'm leading."

"Ok, Deano. Whatever you say." She grinned and got in.

_Crap_. She was going to totally smoke him. He glanced at Sam who didn't look happy at all. Dean grinned, "Come on, Sammy, I am not losing this race to a girl."

Sam got in the car without a word.

Casey was revving her engine and waved at Dean as he got behind the wheel. She pulled out of the parking spot before he'd had time to start the engine. _Double crap. _He caught sight of Bennett's unhappy face before the Mustang pulled out onto the main road.

Starting up the Impala, Dean glanced over at his brother. He asked, "What did you do, Sam?"

* * *

"Looks like it's just you and me, Daddy." Crowley mocked. He strolled up to Castiel and they watched the two classic cars roar down the road.

"I am not your father." Castiel said sourly, not looking at Crowley.

Crowley rolled his eyes and turned to face the angel. "Castiel, how is it even possible for you to still be so literal? We've been around the humans for a few centuries now. How is it that you never seem to adapt?"

"What do you want?"

"Straight to business." Crowley nodded, "Fine. I'd like to know why you lied to Casey and the boys."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Crowley laughed, "Castiel, you are a terrible liar. Just stop. I know all about Pestis. Of course, I didn't exactly volunteer all the information to Casey at the time. But I know that your story about the red handkerchief and that spell you sent them to find is nothing but malarkey. And Casey knows you're fibbing. I covered for you. You're welcome."

Castiel narrowed his eyes. "If you knew, then why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I don't want anything to happen to Casey any more than you do." Crowley said. "The last thing I want is for Casey to go off and try to take that monster on. Regardless of how you feel about me, I do care about that girl, Castiel."

"There is no solution." Castiel said somberly.

"Other than let Pestis take over Casey."

"Bennett." Castiel said without hesitation. "I will never allow it to take Casey."

Crowley smiled, "Ah, yes. You really are a charmer, Castiel." He shook his shoulders, "Gives me chills, how cold you are. Bringing back that poor girl just so you can give her body to a monster and send all of them back to hell."

Castiel looked away. "It must be done."

"So that is still your plan?"

"Yes."

Crowley nodded, "Very well."

"Very well?" Castiel raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. I'm with you." Crowley grimaced, "Painful as it is to say, I believe we are on the same team here."

Castiel asked, "You'll help me?"

"You're going to need my help to pull this off. " Crowley smiled, "For some unknown reason, everyone else seems to like that girl. I don't think the Winchesters are going to let you just take Bennett and introduce her to Pestis. I need Pestis gone. We all do. So yes. I'll help you. Where do we start?"

"We must find Abbadon's safe house." Castiel began. They will be summoning Pestis and we need to be there."

Crowley nodded, "Very well, I can work with this so far. But we are going to have to something about that girl."

Castiel frowned, "What do you mean?"

"We need to deal with Bennett. She is far too powerful, Castiel." Crowley took a deep breath. "She is a danger to all of us."

"Us?"

"Demons." Crowley glared, "She's a danger to demons. What she did at that farmhouse, Castiel...She was out of control. I couldn't reach her. She could take us all out."

Castiel quirked an eyebrow, "This is a bad thing why?"

"Concentrate, Castiel. Abbadon is the enemy here because if she gets to Pestis and Casey, or Bennett, before we do, we won't even have a world to fight over."

"What do you suggest?"

Crowley grinned, "You worry about finding the spell we really need. Let _me_ worry about Bennett..."

* * *

"So you wanna tell me what that was all about?"

"No." Bennett said, staring out the side window. She hadn't looked at Casey the entire time since they'd left the motel parking lot twenty minutes ago.

Casey shook her head. She'd been patient for twenty minutes, waiting to see if the other girl would ever open up. Time to change methods. "You look like you have something to say, so spit it out."

"I just needed...a change in scenery." Bennett shrugged one shoulder, still not looking at Casey.

"Sam is much prettier than I am." Casey teased. When that didn't even get her a hint of a smile, she asked, "What happened, Bennett?"

"He doesn't want me to...use my gift." Bennett turned to face her and the floodgates opened, "It's like he's scared I'm going to turn evil or something. I've been able to make pictures for years. I did it all the time down below. Up here, it was harder. But Crowley helped me figure out how to really use it. I can do things...things I never knew I could do. I could actually help you guys!"

Casey frowned, realizing how excited Bennett was about her abilities, and the fact that she could help them. She needed to be careful so she didn't end up hurting Bennett's feelings. She turned the music down and smiled over at her passenger and said, "Doesn't it scare you at all though? I mean, I have some pretty cool superpowers now too and I'm freaked. Honestly, I think we all are a little scared, Bennett. There's a lot going on right now and we've been through a rough few days."

"I know, but Sam acted like he thought I was going to do something bad." Bennett argued, pushing her hair out of her face. "He said he got in a lot of trouble because of it. Why would he say that?"

"That's something you need to ask him." Casey said. She didn't even know the answer to that one. Bennett still looked annoyed so she tried again, "Sam really seems to care about you. He just wants to keep you safe."

"I've been scared my entire life." Bennett sighed, seeming to ignore Casey's words. "But back at that farmhouse... that was the first moment I wasn't afraid. I could kill those demons. They couldn't hurt me. Couldn't hurt anyone else. I tried, I tried to protect people before. Tried to keep Bobby safe, to hide. But they still hurt us and if I'd known how to do this, I could have helped people. I don't want to be scared any more."

Bennett's voice broke and Casey felt sorry for her. That was a heavy burden to have been carrying around. She said gently, "Bennett, you don't have to be scared anymore. And not just because you have these abilities. You have friends now. Before, it was all on you to keep people safe. I get that. But now you have me and Dean. And don't even get me started on Sam." She grinned, "The guy freaked at the farmhouse when he thought you were hurt or maybe dead."

"Really?" Bennett asked, looking confused.

"Yes really. You aren't alone anymore Bennett. There is a strength and a kind of safety in family. Sam told me about your past and I know that you didn't exactly have that before. But you have that now. You have a family with us."

Bennett looked out the window and said sadly, "I don't even know how to do that."

"Do what? Family? Well, I'll tell you this, it ain't easy." She smiled, thinking of her very unique upbringing, "Families suck. But they're family and at the end of the day they love you and you love them. You would do anything for each other. Even take on the plague." Casey playfully nudged Bennett.

Bennett nodded and said sincerely, "I'll do whatever I can to help you guys. I mean, I've got nothing and everybody's been taking care of me. I just want to be able to help for once. I owe Dean for all the cigarettes he didn't want me to smoke."

"Don't worry about Dean. He gives you a hard time because he cares. If he gets too bad I'll take care of him… and he knows I can do it!" Casey laughed.

"You've known each other for awhile." Bennett tilted her head and stared at Casey. "I could tell right from the start."

"We have." Casey nodded, and briefly explained how they'd met in Purgatory. "We didn't remember it until after my dad healed me and gave us our memories back."

Bennett's eyes were wide. "I can't believe he stole your memories."

Casey took a deep breath and said, "Remember what I said about families?"

"That they suck?"

"Yeah, that too." Casey laughed, "But I meant the other part. Even when they do dumb things, you still love them."

Bennett nodded slowly, processing that thought. She sighed, "I guess there's a lot I don't know about families. Will you teach me? About families, and about hunting? All of you know all this stuff and can talk about it, but I feel like I'm completely on the outside. I have no idea what its like. I didn't know there were monsters until it was too late."

"I'll show you the ropes." She nodded, then grew serious, "Don't worry Bennett. I've got your back. Always."

"Thanks, Casey." Bennett said, looking more relaxed then she had the entire trip. "Or should I call you Echo?"

"No. I hate that nickname. Dean does it because he thinks he is hilarious. I let him get away with it cuz I like his face too much to bruise it with my fist."

"Why does he call you that anyway?" Bennett asked, opening her bag of M&Ms.

"He can't pronounce my last name." Casey rolled her eyes, "Never could."

"Why not? What's so hard about Economou?"

"You would have to ask him that. Like I said, he thinks he's adorable."

Bennett grinned, "I think he's adorable."

"Please don't tell him that. It will just feed the beast. His ego is big enough thank you."

"Ok. I won't say anything." Bennett said, offering Casey some M&Ms. "Will you teach me to shoot a gun?"

"Sure thing. It's a skill every good huntress should have." Casey adjusted the rear view mirror and shook her head, watching in amusement as Dean tried to catch up to her. "I'll tell you what. After we take out Pestis, I'll take you to a gun range in Chicago that I know. That sound good to you?"

"Yeah. That'll be great. If I'm going to be part of this family, obviously I need to know how to hunt." Bennett pushed her hair behind her ear and asked nervously, "Um, how many kinds of monsters are there?"

"Honestly, I don't even know. Too many to count. But I promise you two things, Bennett. One, that I will teach you everything I know."

"And two?"

Casey met her eyes and said somberly, "I will never let another monster get to you again."

* * *

"Seriously, man." Dean said, shaking his head, "Way to go."

"Shut up."

Dean just laughed, "She's like a kid who just made a mud pie and wanted to show it off. You're supposed to say what a lovely pie, dear, of course I want some pie. You're not supposed to say stop playing in the mud you're going to turn into an evil monster!"

"That is _not_ what I said." Sam said, frowning as he stared out the window.

"It's what she heard." Dean said seriously and shot him a meaningful look, "You hurt her feelings."

Sam shook his head, "I was trying to keep her safe."

"I know." Dean nodded, studying Sam's profile. He didn't have to wonder what was going on in his brother's head. What Azazel had done to him...everything he'd gone through, that wasn't just something you ever really got past. "Sam, I know you know this, but if you aren't careful, we will lose her. She's a mess, but she's also been holding it together a lot better than most people would. But for the first time, she felt like she had something to offer the world. And you shot her down."

"Dean, we don't know what that power is going to do to her!" Sam argued, turning to face his brother. "_Crowley_ was shaken. If he was worried, don't you think we should be?"

Dean snorted, "Crowley's a demon. Bennett was shredding demons. Of course he was shaken." Sam still looked dubious, "Look, I'm completely with you on this. Really. I remember everything that you went through."

Sam nodded and stared out the window.

"I'm not saying I want her to be using her superpower all the time. Or maybe not at all. She may have it under control right now, but it wasn't that long ago that she was practically hemorrhaging every time she got near a demon. Who knows what could happen in the long-term." He passed a truck and fell in behind Casey again. Dean shook his head, "I don't really want Casey to be doing it either. But I'm just saying if you scare Bennett off, she is gonna run and then we won't have any idea what happens to her; or who might find her and...and I just don't even want to think about that."

"I know."

"So buy her more chocolate and please would you just make up with her when we stop." Dean grinned. "Dude, we've just gone through family drama with Triple C. Bennett's the only one who's been floating on a cloud of serenity the entire time. Don't screw with that, bro."

Sam smiled slightly. "I'll try not to."

* * *

**Thursday, 1156  
****Casey's Apartment  
****Chicago, IL**

"Nice place!" Dean's eyes were wide. Nice was a Castiel-level understatement. Casey Economou had a swanky apartment with an incredible view of the city.

"Thanks." She grinned at him, leading the way down the hall into the living room.

It was nearly midnight and after spending all day on the road, everyone was ready to crash. Casey enjoyed the looks of amazement on the boys' faces as they took in her expensive apartment. Growing up in the country in a modest home, she herself had never envisioned living in such a place. But she had to admit, it wasn't a bad way to live. Bennett was the only one who didn't look overly impressed. Casey realized that Bennett had come from old money, so maybe her house had even been more fantastic. Dean headed for the kitchen while Sam and Bennett stood staring out her floor to ceiling front windows.

At their second stop for gas, the ice had finally melted between the two of them and Casey was relieved. She didn't really know either of them that well, but, during their talk earlier, she'd sensed a very real desperation in Bennett. Without some guidance and something grounding her, she was going to disappear. Sam had apparently given Bennett the rundown on exactly why he'd been so opposed to her using her powers, including why exactly he knew so much about the power. Bennett hadn't given her all the details, but on the last leg of their trip, she'd explained some of what Sam had told her and it had been obvious that all had been resolved between them. Watching them together now, Casey smiled. It might take awhile, but she had a feeling Sam was going to be exactly what the girl needed.

"No beer?" Dean asked, mouth filled with chips.

"I was leaving town." Casey shrugged, amazed that he'd found food so quickly. "Besides, I thought we were all turning in."

"I was hungry." Dean shrugged, heading for the couch. He dropped onto it with a sigh and started to put his feet up on her coffee table. For some reason, he paused and looked up at her almost guiltily.

Casey nodded, "Go ahead."

"Thanks." He grinned and settled back, enjoying his chips and her plush couch.

"Mmhmm." She smiled, then said, "Bedrooms are this way."

Once she'd shown Sam to the spare room and gotten Bennett settled in her own room, Casey was more than ready to roll into bed and sleep for a month. She grabbed a blanket for Dean and returned to the living room. Stopping in the entryway, Casey grinned. He sat on the couch, one hand in the bag of chips. Looking peaceful and relaxed, Dean was already sound asleep. Casey hated to disturb him, but she really just wanted to be close to him. So she tiptoed over to the couch, slid off her boots and curled up next to him. Pulling the blanket over them, Casey rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes.

For a few hours, nothing would matter except that they were together. Casey had almost drifted off when his arm settled around her shoulders and he gently kissed the top of her head. It had been a good day.

* * *

_Awww...wasn't that a super sweet happy little end to this chapter? :) Calm before the storm, folks, calm before the storm... Would love to hear what you thought if you had time to drop us a review! Thanks for reading! ~Noxbait and DamonsGirl92_


	18. Chapter 18

_Sorry folks... I wanted this up last night, but my internet went down so I was stuck. Hope you will enjoy this chapter after the long wait. :) _

_So...what kind of trouble will our intrepid heroes get into now that they have come full circle and are back in the Windy city? Will they be able to deal with Abbadon's baddies _AND_ Cas and Crowley? _

* * *

**Friday, 0730  
****Casey's Apartment  
****Chicago, IL**

Casey woke up to the smell of something delicious. And sounds of banging and clanking. _Sounds like it's coming from the kitchen,_ she thought in muddled confusion. _Why is someone in my kitchen at_… she opened her eyes just enough to see the clock on the Blu-ray player. 7:30 AM. _Why?_ She moaned softly, rubbing her eyes and squeezing them closed. _I'm going to kill them!_ Casey instinctively moved to reach the knife she kept tucked in the couch cushions but froze when she felt someone shift beneath her.

Casey opened her eyes completely and saw a handsome, slightly scruffy face. She smiled as she looked at Dean. They obviously had found a more comfortable position sometime during the night. She felt his hand gently rub her back as he stirred.

"Morning beautiful," Dean mumbled quietly, his eyes still closed. He grimaced as someone giggled in the other room. "What is with all the noise?"

"There are morning people in my kitchen," Casey complained in a whisper. She laid her head back down on Dean's chest. For a moment, she kept her eyes closed. She just wanted to fall asleep again for a few more hours. But she was wide awake now and, like it or not, she couldn't block out the sounds from the kitchen. Shifting slightly, she turned her head and watched Sam and Bennett make breakfast. _What are they even making? I think I only had a couple bagels in the pantry_.

Casey watched as Bennett ducked under Sam's lifted arms. He was transferring something, bacon maybe, from the stove to a platter on the counter and decided going over Bennett was easier than just going around her. Bennett looked up at him with a bright smile and whatever she said to him made him laugh. Casey smiled too, watching through half-closed eyes as Sam leaned down and looked intently at whatever Bennett was doing. Giving her pointers. _They are so cute._

"What are they doing?" Dean whispered.

"Making breakfast?"

"Why are they doing it so loudly?" He groaned, rubbing his eyes and settling back against the pillows.

Casey snickered, glancing up at him. Dean was watching the little scene in the kitchen with a smile. She whispered back, "I think _they_ think they're being quiet."

Dean shifted and wrapped his arms around her and asked, "Sleep well?"

"Mmhmm." Casey sighed. "Should we get up and help?"

"Absolutely not." Dean shook his head "I don't think they'll burn your kitchen down or anything, Echo. Besides, it looks like they're having fun."

Casey snickered as Bennett hip-checked Sam away from a drawer she was trying to get into. "I think they're cute. Kind of looks like they're into each other."

Dean's response was thoughtful. "Maybe."

"You don't think so?" Casey glanced up at him again in surprise. "She's like his shadow."

"She's scared." Dean said. "I don't care what she says, she's scared. They've got a connection, but I don't know about anything else." He studied them for a moment, then said, "They've both been through a lot and I don't know where either of them really are right now."

Casey watched them pulling plates out of the cupboard, still whispering to each other like ten year olds. It would be interesting to see how things developed. She didn't know Sam that well. Actually, she didn't know either of them that well. Maybe Bennett really was just latching onto someone who gave her some sense of security. Casey watched Bennett smile at Sam as he showed her how to do something. _Nope_, she grinned, _the girl definitely has a crush on him_.

Just then, Sam whispered something into her ear and Bennett burst out laughing. Casey almost laughed just listening to the girl. Bennett's face lit up and, for the first time since Casey had met her, she looked completely carefree and happy. Whatever Sam was doing, it was good therapy for her. She tried to get her giggles under control as Sam handed her a plate, but just laughed louder.

"Hey! Keep it down in there!" Dean finally yelled.

Sam and Bennett looked up with twin expressions of guilt and amusement. Sam waved at them and gave Bennett a push toward the dining room table with a stack of plates. Bennett grinned as she headed for the table and called out, "Rise and shine! We made breakfast!"

"No, not yet. Just a few more minutes," Casey whined as she hid her face in the crook of Dean's neck and pulled the blanket over her head. She felt something thud softly on her side and then felt Dean start to sit up.

"Hey! Not cool, Bennett," Dean said as he grabbed the pillow to throw back at Bennett.

"Oh no!" Casey sat up in a hurry and plucked the pillow out from Dean's hands. "You are not gonna ruin my pillows!"

"She started it," Dean said with a grin.

"I finished it." Casey said, getting up from the couch and putting her pillow back on other chair. She started down the hall towards the bathroom and called over her shoulder, "I'm going to take a quick shower before breakfast. Someone, please tell me there will be coffee when I come back out!"

"You got it, Casey," Sam said from the kitchen.

* * *

About fifteen minutes later, Casey walked out of the bathroom feeling slightly more awake. She heard Dean talking about zombies and realized he was giving Bennett a crash course on creepy monsters. Walking around the corner, she watched Dean gesturing wildly as Bennett stared at him with wide eyes. Casey pulled her wet hair off her neck and saw Sam heading her way with a steaming cup of coffee.

"Just in time," Sam said, as he handed her the cup.

"Thanks," She replied, following him to the table. Staring at the spread on her usually empty kitchen table, she sat down next to Dean. "This looks great guys."

"Thanks!" Bennett turned her attention from zombies to the food. "Sam showed me how to make pancakes."

"Where did you even get the stuff to make this?" Casey asked as she helped herself to a stack of pancakes. "I didn't think I had any food. Let alone ingredients to make food."

"You didn't," Sam smiled. He glanced at Bennett and his eyes softened, then he said, "We went out and picked up a few things earlier."

"Morning people!" Dean scoffed, watching Sam and Bennett exchanging a meaningful glance. He wondered what had happened before he and Casey had awakened. Bennett seemed bubbly and happy, but her eyes were shadowed and tired. Sam was being very solicitous toward the girl and never let his eyes stray far from her. _Something went down earlier._

"Tell me about it," Casey replied, watching Dean watch his brother and Bennett.

Casey sipped her coffee and let the conversation flow around her. She had assumed Sam and Bennett were just up early enjoying the morning. Now, she watched Bennett hop up every time Sam moved. She followed him to the kitchen when he ran for a handful of napkins. And it was only when Dean was joking around that Bennett didn't jump if Sam moved. So Dean kept joking around and breakfast was pleasant and relaxed. Casey decided Dean was probably right; Bennett looked like she was afraid Sam was going to disappear at any moment. _She_ is_ scared. Even as excited as she was about her new powers, she's just plain scared. And I don't blame her.__  
_

After a while Sam asked, "What's the plan for the day?"

Casey said, "I'm presenting at seven tonight. After the presentation, the exhibits will open and I figured Dean and I would find a way to get the scarf and then find the spell book that will unbind the angel from the demon."

"Even if we get all of that, we're going to need a way to get a hold of Pestis. What about the summoning spell?" Sam asked, "You think that's in the same book?"

"No, that will probably be in the archives." Casey said, pouring herself another cup of coffee as Bennett snatched the last piece of bacon. "Once we're inside, we should be able to let you in the back door so you can hunt for that."

"What do I do?" Bennett asked, looking concerned. "I don't want to stay here."

Dean shook his head, "Nope. We're sticking together. You stay with Sam and help him look for the book."

Casey watched Bennett's hopeful face fall into that of disappointment. She wants to go to the Gala, not just the dusty archive via the back door. Shooting Dean a meaningful glance, Casey said, "You know what, there's actually no reason you guys can't just come in with us. It might be easier to get you into the Gala than it would be to sneak you in the back way."

"Why can't we just go now?" Sam asked. "Wouldn't that be even easier?"

"No." Casey shook her head, "Security is insane at these events. Some of the artwork is from museums in Europe. The Louvre is sending several pieces. Other exhibits and paintings are from private collectors, including a member of Dutch royalty. He is accompanying his exhibits and there will be private security for his own personal safety on top of the typical museum security which will be increased for the special exhibition."

"You can get invites, though?" Dean asked. "I'm guessing you have to be on a very special list to get in."

"You do. And I can." Casey grinned. "I have seniority and get some personal passes to these events. I'll make a phone call and get it set up."

Dean asked, "What time can we get in?"

"Six. The museum will be open for the guests to enjoy while hors d'oeuvres are served. I give my presentation, then a few other speakers will present. After that, the special exhibit will open."

"How are you going to get the items if they're under such high security and a bunch of people will be wandering around?" Sam asked as he and Bennett started clearing away the dishes.

Casey grinned, "I'm sure we'll figure something out. It's not the first time I've broken into an exhibit."

Dean nodded, glancing at his watch. "It's not even nine. What are we going to do until six?"

Casey said, "For one thing, this is a formal event so…"

"Good thing we brought the 'monkey suits' eh, Sammy?" Dean nodded sagely.

"Oh no. Suits will not do." Casey shook her head. "Did you not hear the word _formal_ come out of my mouth? This is black tie only. You boys will need tuxedos," She said with a smirk. Dean hated wearing the FBI suit, she couldn't help but smile at the thought of how much he would hate the tux.

"And where are we going to get fitted for a tuxedo on such short notice?" Dean glared at her.

"There's a shop a few blocks from here." Casey said, pulling a business card from her neat as a pin desk. "Took out a poltergeist there a couple years ago. The Dabrowski's are a great couple. They'll do it in a heartbeat, you just have to tell them I sent you."

"What about us?" Bennett asked, stacking dishes and nibbling on a chocolate chip cookie that had mysteriously appeared.

"We get to go shopping." Casey replied and clapped her hands, grinning. "We have all day and I intend to show you a good time in Chicago. I think you boys should deal with the tuxes while we start and then we can meet up for lunch."

Dean nodded and said instantly, "Giordanos."

"Pizza?" Bennett clarified.

"Pizza." Dean grinned. He took one last drink from his coffee cup. "Alright, I guess we should get ready."

* * *

**Adler Planetarium  
Afternoon  
****Chicago**

They met behind the Adler Planetarium. To anyone walking by that cold Chicago afternoon, it would have looked like they were a couple of businessmen meeting for coffee. One in a long black winter coat, one in a rumpled trench coat that seemed too lightweight for the chilly weather, the two men stood side by side, looking out at Lake Michigan.

"So?" Crowley said, sipping his coffee. "You called me, Angel Daddy. I'm a busy man. What is it you want?"

Castiel narrowed his eyes and glared at the demon. "I have acquired the spell we will need. Also, I have a lead on the location of Abbadon's safe house. I am planning to go investigate but I want to know what you are planning to do."

"Full of trust, as usual." Crowley muttered. "I am planning to deal with our little plague maiden this evening. The intrepid Winchesters are going to the Gala tonight and I have some special guests arranged to drop by and pick up Bennett."

"They will not harm her." Castiel said.

Crowley raised an eyebrow. "Is that a question or a statement, Cas? I don't know what to make of you these days. You bring that girl back from hell so you can shove a demon angel abomination down her throat and now you're acting concerned for her welfare?"

"If there were any other way..." Cas said, his tone regretful.

"Moose and Squirrel seem to think there's another way." Crowley said, pulling his collar up against the wind. "Of course, they usually do."

"I will not allow them to use Casey."

Rolling his eyes, Crowley turned so his back was to the Lake. "Yes, yes, got that. Several times over in fact. Again, we're on the same page here, Castiel. I don't care about the hell-brat. However, despite how obviously uncomfortable it makes you, I do care for Casey."

Castiel shook his head, "It makes me very uncomfortable."

"Well, I couldn't care less about you and your comfort." Crowley said, taking another sip of his coffee. "Personally, you make _me_ uncomfortable."

"What are you going to do to the girl?" Cas asked, changing the subject back to the reason he had called for the meeting with the demon.

Crowley snorted, "I'm going to clip her wings, as the saying goes. There's a handy little spell for such an occasion. She's powerful enough to get around it, but she doesn't know that."

"I thought you taught her…"

"Not everything." Crowley smiled smugly, "And it's a good thing I didn't or we might all be in more trouble than we currently are in. Anyway, it'll stop her magic tricks so my boys can grab her and we can….well, you know."

Castiel grimaced and nodded. He handed Crowley a scrap of paper. "Meet me here later tonight."

Crowley glanced at the address and slid the note into a pocket with a grin, "It's a date."

"It's an apartment complex." Castiel replied, unamused.

"Until next time." Crowley waved a hand and disappeared.

Sighing, Castiel stared out at the cold water of Lake Michigan. Everything was wrong about this situation. He shook his head, feeling his gut twist with the guilt of what he was doing. How had it come to this? How had he become someone who would bring an innocent girl back from hell only to plan to use her as bait for a monster? Even Crowley seemed to have difficulty believing what he was doing.

Castiel knew _why_ he was doing it. He'd do anything to protect the daughter he had only gotten to know during a year in Purgatory.

Yes, like he'd told Casey, he had watched over her. Had felt pride at her accomplishments, felt heartsick at her mother's death, felt the stinging ache of knowing he'd never really get to be a father to her. But watching over her was different from being there for her. That was something he couldn't fix; could never go back and do over. All he could do was protect her now. And if it meant sacrificing Jaina Prentiss to the plague demon in order to destroy the monstrosity, then he would do it. Had to do it. Even if it killed him from the inside out.

Because he couldn't let anything happen to Casey.

* * *

**Casey's Apartment  
Evening  
Chicago **

Hours later, arms laden with packages, Casey led Bennett to her room. They dumped their packages on the bed and Bennett pulled out the pair of strappy heels she'd chosen for the event. She turned to Casey and asked, "Do we get dressed now?"

"Nope. We start with hair and makeup." Casey said, pulling out the chair in front of her vanity. "Sit."

Bennett obeyed and doubtfully stared at herself in the mirror. She pushed her hair out of her face and shrugged, "I don't know what you're going to do to make this look good. I can't get it to do anything."

Casey smiled. _Occasionally br__ushing it might help_. She plugged in her curling iron and reached for a brush, considering. She said, "I'm thinking we do some loose curls since your hair is on the short side. What do you think?"

"I don't know if you'll even be able to get it to curl." Bennett pulled at her hair, "It's just always in my face. I never know what to do with it."

"This is a curling iron." Casey waved it. "I can work miracles with this thing. So curls and maybe pin some pieces away from your face to show you off a little?"

"Whatever you think. I don't have a clue what to do." She shook her head, then looked down and traced her finger along the edge of the vanity. "It was longer. Before. My mom curled it for me once, but she, she was always gone so I would put it in a ponytail. And since I got back..." She sighed heavily, "it just didn't seem that important."

"Curls it is." Casey said enthusiastically, not liking the depressing direction the conversation was taking. "And next time we go out, I'll get you some styling tools and products."

Bennett nodded, rearranging the perfumes and other bottles on the vanity. She asked, "You're like an expert on all of this, aren't you?"

"I wouldn't call me an expert." Casey said, brushing Bennett's hair out. "But this isn't my first rodeo."

"Well, you're an expert compared to me. You go to these things a lot?"

"Unfortunately." Casey said, reaching for the curling iron.

"You sound like you don't like going."

"I don't. These things are incredibly boring. But being an expert in any field puts you at the top of just about every invite list." Casey shrugged. "Stop wiggling before I burn you!"

"Sorry." Bennett stared up at Casey in the mirror, "What don't you like about them?"

"The outfits for one thing. I'm a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl. Some of the dresses are so fitted I can't even strap a knife to my thigh. Makes me feel exposed."

Bennett nodded, "You have to be ready at all times, don't you? In case something bad happens."

"Basically." Casey put her hand on the back of Bennett's head to keep her from moving her head. "Stop moving."

"Sorry." Bennett sighed.

Casey twisted the curling iron again and said, "Don't get me wrong, I like the dresses and the glitz. I just don't feel as safe in an evening gown."

"That makes sense. But Dean will think you look incredible." Bennett smiled. "I think we have the most beautiful gowns ever. Thanks for getting it for me, by the way. I mean, someday, when I figure out how, I'll get a job and pay you back. I just don't know how I'm gonna get a job since I didn't even get through high school."

"Hey." Casey shook her head and caught Bennett's eye. "Don't worry about it, ok? You should see how many dresses like the ones we just bought that I already have. It's not a big deal."

Bennett nodded, eyes falling, "I just don't know what I'm supposed to do. After all of this. Am I supposed to go back to school? Everyone is supposed to go to school, right?"

"I think the bigger question is whether or not you want to go back to school." Casey worked on another curl. "Not everyone graduates high school. It doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you."

"I guess. I have no idea who I am or what I'm supposed to do."

"And that's something that you get to decide for yourself now." Casey smiled. "You have the chance to start over. Be whoever you want to be. Do whatever you want to do. If you want to go back to school, I'll help you in whatever way I can. I know the guys would too. If you don't then you don't. You do something else."

Bennett nodded slowly, considering Casey's words. She shrugged a shoulder, "I think it's just been so long since I could actually make a decision for myself that I don't even know who I am anymore."

"Who do you want to be Bennett?" Casey put the curling iron down and studied the girl carefully.

"Normal." Bennett whispered, eyes filling with tears. "I just want to be normal again."

Casey handed her a tissue, glad they hadn't started with makeup. "I don't think that's ever going to be in the cards for you. I don't mean to scare you, but it's the truth. The trick to being like us, like you and me, and even Sam, is to take your gift and do something good with it. I have the ability to level the city if I really wanted to. The key is to use the power carefully."

"We have to take Pestis down one way or another." Bennett turned around. She asked, "What if the spell doesn't work? What if it's all wrong and it doesn't get rid of the monster? I took out a bunch of demons already and I think I can take this thing out too. I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of this. Your dad brought me back so I could deal with Pestis. If that spell doesn't work, I'm going to do whatever it takes. I don't care what happens."

"My father brought you back so he could use you." Casey snapped. "And I am not going to let that happen. I care what happens. Dean cares what happens and Sam cares what happens. We're a family now, Bennett, and you don't get to take this thing on by yourself. I won't let you."

Bennett nodded, then rushed on, "Ok. But if it doesn't work, if the spell doesn't work, then I think we should use our powers. Even if they don't want us to."

Casey studied her. Bennett was serious and that scared Casey a little. Of course, she herself had already made up her mind to do the same thing if anything went wrong, so how could she fault Bennett for wanting to do whatever it took to kill Pestis? Casey knew Dean would have a fit, but the simple fact was that she and Bennett _could_ do something about Pestis. She said, "If it doesn't work then we figure something else out. If we need to use our powers then we will. If it comes to that, we'll do whatever is necessary. But there's no use in worrying about 'what ifs'. It will drive you crazy."

Bennett nodded, "Deal. I'll try not to think about it. Are you almost finished?"

"Yes. Just let me…" Casey pulled out a simple crystal barrette and pulled Bennett's hair off to one side. "There you go. Perfect."

"Thanks." Bennett said, fingering the barrette. She smiled, "That looks so much better."

"It does look a little less like you've been in a wind tunnel." Casey grinned. "Now, give me about 20 minutes to do my hair and then I'll start on your makeup. Scoot."

Bennett wandered back over to the bed and unzipped the dress bag. "Can I put on my dress yet?"

"Not yet, Miss Impatience. After makeup." Casey said, brushing out her hair. She heard Bennett sitting on the bed.

"It's just so beautiful. I've never had anything so gorgeous."

Casey smiled, "Well, you'll need a new dress for the next annoying event I have to go to."

"Really? You can't wear the dress twice?" Bennett pulled her dress out to stare at it.

"You can, but it's more fun to go shopping for a new dress." Casey said, thinking about how overfull her closet was. "The most fun I have is shopping for a new dress. Most of the time the people at these events are so boring I wish a ghost or something would crash the party so I would have something mildly entertaining to do."

Bennett's smile faded and she said pragmatically, "Something tells me, at this event tonight, you might get the chance, Casey."

* * *

"I hate these stupid things!" Dean grumbled, working on his tie.

Sam glanced over at him and rolled his eyes._ Sometimes_… "It's only for one night, Dean. A few hours. I think you'll live. Besides, your girlfriend is the one who is making us wear them."

"Yeah, well I'm beginning to think she's a monster." Dean muttered, untying the stubborn tie. "We should gank her."

"She's an angel, not a monster." Sam snickered, "Besides, she's also a hunter and knows how to gank _you_, so you should probably be nice to her."

"Yeah… well…" Dean adjusted the tie, "She's only half angel."

"Nice come back, genius." Sam pulled on his jacket, shaking his head.

"Whatever." Dean muttered, then changed the subject, "So what's going on with you and Bennett?"

Sam froze at the question and kept his back to his brother. "Left field. What are you talking about?"

Dean reached for his own jacket and said, "Don't play that game, Sammy. I invented it. I've seen how you two have been around each other. Casey sees it too."

"I have no idea what you two think you're seeing. We made breakfast. Just because you two don't like mornings doesn't mean…"

"It's just that you, I don't know… gravitate towards each other." Dean interrupted, yanking his jacket on.

Sam stared at him, "We made breakfast. We gravitated toward the_ kitchen._"

Dean shot him an irritated look, "Nobody makes breakfast that early in the morning."

"You do when you can't sleep. Besides, six isn't that early."

"For normal people, it's early. Why couldn't you sleep?" Dean asked, coat on and hands going back to his tie yet again.

Sam shrugged, "Oh, I don't know, someone crying in the next room tends to keep me up."

Dean waited. When no more information was forthcoming, he said, "Okay, Mr. I'm-going-to-be-annoyingly-cryptic. Care to elaborate?"

"She had a nightmare and when she woke up she was alone. I think she got scared since no one was around." Sam said, adjusting his cuff-links. "All this time, we've been in pretty close quarters and she hasn't been alone. Last night, though she was in an unfamiliar place by herself after just finding out she has enough power to take out a house full of demons."

"And the house." Dean added.

"And the house. On top of everything else, I think that would give anybody some psychological trauma."

"True." Dean had to admit. "So what happened? Did you comfort her?"

Sam glared at his brother. Dean was wiggling his eyebrows and giving him a suggestive look. Sam said, "Dude. Just stop."

Dean held up his hands, "Okay… touchy…"

"Since you and Casey were in a coma on the couch, we sat and talked for awhile." He shook his head, remembering how she had let him hold her as she cried her heart out. "There was no way she was going to be able to get back to sleep. She needed a distraction and it was almost six anyway. So we decided to get something for breakfast. That's it."

"I don't know man. It's just the way she acts around you." Dean said, grabbing his FBI badge. "She follows you around like a puppy. If it wasn't so sad, it would be kinda cute."

"She's scared, Dean." Sam said, leaning against the dresser. He frowned and tapped his fingers on the top, remembering their conversation from earlier. "You know, she told me this morning that she's still painting pictures. All the time."

Dean raised an eyebrow, "All the time?"

"As in, from the moment she woke up in South Dakota, she's been doing it." Sam explained, "Bennett said she can keep it at a low level so it doesn't affect anyone else or hurt her. She felt bad for doing it since you told her to stop, but she's been too scared to quit."

"Crap." Dean whistled. "So I guess she's not as well adjusted as we all thought she was, eh?"

Sam nodded and said, "I'm worried about her. This is pretty major stuff we're dealing with here. I don't want her to get hurt."

"I know. I get it, man. I do." Dean said, hating the helpless feeling he was getting. Shaking his head, he said, "Speaking of which, we need to talk about what we are going to do if this plan doesn't pan out."

"Yes we do." Sam completely agreed, "Because I just don't exactly trust Cas right now. Somethings going on with him."

"Yeah, something. And I don't trust him either. What he did to Casey and me could have killed her…" He pushed the thought away, "We need a Plan B. And not B as in Bennett."

"I agree. We have to keep her away from Abbadon's goons. Because if they don't take her, she's gonna try to take Pestis out on her own. She's still going on about her abilities." Sam couldn't hide the concern in his voice, "I know what she did back there, but I don't think she's as strong as she thinks."

"Or maybe she is as strong as she thinks. Sam, Casey couldn't control her powers until she got her memories back because until then, she didn't know how. Crowley said he helped Bennett learn how to control her abilities."

"And you trust Crowley?"

"No, but I trust Casey. And if she says Crowley wants to help, then I'm gonna run with it until he shows otherwise."

Sam nodded, "So you're okay with Bennett going off on her own? You're okay with her using her powers to do who knows what? What if it was Casey?"

"It could be Casey!" Dean's voice had an edge to it, "Don't you see Sam? There is something Cas isn't telling us. Why is Pestis so interested in Casey but Abbadon's got a thing for Bennett?"

"Good point. Something is definitely not right about all of this. But what are we supposed to do? Cas is probably lying to us and, Crowley, he's always lying."

Dean sighed, "I don't know, Sammy. All I do know right now is I don't want either of those girls anywhere near this thing."

"How do we keep them away when they both seem dead set on getting into a fight with it?" Sam asked.

"Can we tie them up?" Dean offered.

"I'm serious, Dean."

"So am I! Because nothing short of knocking out and tying up Casey is going to keep her away from this. If Bennett goes, Casey goes. That's how it's gonna happen."

"So what do we do?"

Dean just shook his head and held up a hand helplessly.

* * *

"Casey! Bennett! Let's get a move on! We are going to be late!" Dean shouted down the hall, glancing at his watch for the twentieth time.

"Coming!" Casey shouted back.

Dean threw up his hands, walked back into the living room and looked over at Sam, "Why do women take so long?"

"I have no idea," Sam shook his head, leaning against the back of the couch and staring at the hallway.

His expression changed a second later and Dean grinned at the smile that appeared on his brother's face. Dean turned around and his eyebrows rose as Bennett walked into the room. She looked amazing in a strapless emerald green gown. Her hair was in gentle curls, pinned away from her face. Gone was the lost girl. In her place stood a beautiful, if uncertain woman. Her face turned pink when she realized they were both staring at her.

"Wow." Sam said softly.

Dean almost laughed. Sam looked shell-shocked. Since he seemed incapable of saying anything else at the moment, Dean said, "Hey, you look great, Bennett."

"Thanks." She smiled shyly. With her hair pinned back, she didn't have anything to do with her hands, so she tugged at her dress nervously. After a few uncomfortable seconds, though, she declared, "I'm hungry."

Sam followed her as she hurried off to the kitchen and Dean just grinned, waiting expectantly for Casey to make her appearance. He had consulted his watch a couple more times before he heard footsteps in the hallway. Dean felt his jaw drop the moment he laid eyes on Casey. She wore a red dress that fit her like a glove. Hugging her curves in all the right places, it flared out just below her knees. The neckline…. _Don't even start._ It definitely played up her assets.

"My eyes are up here." Casey's voice was amused.

Dean nodded appreciatively, slowly looking up. "I know where your eyes are."

"Will you stop looking at me like that? I already feel like an idiot. I hate wearing these stupid things," Casey said as she fidgeted with the top of her dress.

"No…" Dean stepped closer to her. "You look beautiful. Absolutely stunning."

"You clean up pretty nicely yourself, Winchester." Casey replied, admiring the view. She adjusted his tie and said, "We should probably go."

"Mmhmm." Dean leaned down for a kiss.

"Uhuh!" Casey put her finger to his lips. "This isn't your color," she pointed to the lipstick she was wearing.

"It could be," he pouted and settled for kissing her cheek.

"Come on, Romeo, let's get going," Casey said, leading the way out of the apartment.

* * *

**Friday, 1820  
****Field Museum Gala  
****Chicago, IL**

"Don't scratch her, you hear me?" Dean said, handing over the keys to the valet.

Casey walked over to Dean and slid her arm into his and said reassuringly, "She'll be fine. Tyler parks my baby all the time."

Dean cast one more look over his shoulder and shrugged. He couldn't remember ever leaving Baby with a valet. He fiddled with his tie. This was not exactly their typical gig. Glancing down at Casey who was smiling and greeting people as they walked in, Dean felt increased appreciation for her. She knew how to fight with the best of them, but she also looked like she was born to this life.

After they turned in their invites, and the girls checked their coats, Casey led them into the main lobby. The place was swarming with people and Dean realized that, of course, she had been correct when she'd said black tie. They probably wouldn't have made it in the door in a suit.

"Where to?" He asked, allowing Casey the lead. This was her world.

"The presentation will take place right here." She pointed to a stage. "I have some people I need to make nice to before it all gets started."

"We can head to the archives and get started." Sam offered, then realized he'd lost his date. A slight twist of fear in his heart sent him into near panic mode. Bennett had been holding his arm not ten seconds ago. He looked to his right and felt the panic subside as he realized she'd found the buffet table. And she wasn't the only one.

"Seriously?" Casey asked in exasperation, staring over at Dean. He and Bennett were loading up plates with hors d'oeuvres. Dean popped something into Bennett's mouth and grinned as she dumped some shrimp on his plate. "How old is he? Bennett I get. But him?"

Sam laughed, "Um, this is pretty much his standard operating procedure, Casey. Makes him easy to find though. You lose him, head for the food."

"Apparently." She smoothed her curls and looked up at Sam. "You know she's prepared to take on Pestis by herself, right?"

"And you aren't?" Sam countered, raising an eyebrow. "How about we be the honest people in the bunch? I know both of you think it's your duty to deal with this monster."

Casey said, "I can deal with it."

"Last time it nearly killed you."

"Last time I didn't remember who, _what_, I am. Without the knowledge of who I am, the understanding of how to use my powers, I almost died. Now I know what I'm doing." Casey said, then smiled as Sam's expression remained dubious. "Look, I'm not saying I'm going to do something stupid. But the fact is that I do have some abilities here. I don't know if we can trust my father."

Sam nodded, "Neither do we. But until we find something to the contrary, we go with what we've got. I'll keep an eye on Bennett, but we all need to stick together on this. You've been doing all of this on your own your whole life." He smiled and nodded over at the buffet. "I'm not saying he and I've got it all figured out, or always do it right. In fact, most of the time we basically screw it all up. But we've got each other's backs."

"I know." Casey smiled, "That's what I told her."

"Ok, so you need to believe it too." Sam said seriously. "We're in this together, all of us, all the way. Whatever it takes, we'll figure it out."

Casey squeezed his arm, "Thanks, Sam. You remember how to get to the archive room?"

Sam nodded as Dean and Bennett returned, plates laden, deep in conversation. Casey shook her head, "You two remember we did already eat dinner, right?"

Bennett's eyes were huge, "You should see the desserts they have, Casey! I've never even heard of some of it."

"Me neither." Dean said, mouth full.

Casey rolled her eyes and prayed for patience. "Shall we focus on what we need to do? Or did you need more time at the buffet?"

Dean shook his head, and held up his plate, "I'm good. I'll bring it along."

* * *

Dean was still enjoying his plate of food when Casey stepped up to the platform to begin her presentation. Other than the food, Dean had found it to be a terribly boring event. He'd been impressed with how Casey interacted with those around her; she was both graceful and intelligent. But he didn't have anything intelligent to say back to the ritzy guests, so he just followed Casey's lead and let her have her moment. He patted his pocket, subconsciously making sure that the red cloth was still in its protective plastic zip-lock bag. They'd snuck into the exhibit just before her presentation in order to grab the cloth and the spellbook.

He'd taken a place off to the side of the room where he could see Casey as well as most of the guests. So far, so good. He'd just talked to Sam who reported they'd found the spell Cas had sent them for. They were continuing to look through the archives for anything else that might help since no one completely trusted what Cas had been telling them. Dean glanced back over at Casey and saw something change in her expression. It was so infinitesimal that he almost missed it. He dropped the plate on a convenient display case. His fingers itched and he wished he had his gun on him. They'd smuggled their weapons inside in a delivery they'd sent to Casey's office earlier in the day, but they hadn't gone to retrieve them yet. He took a step closer to the platform, eyes searching the crowd for the source of Casey's concern.

At first, he thought it was just the lighting. But, no, his heart sank. It wasn't lighting. People's eyes didn't turn completely black just because of bad lighting. Dean turned and ran toward Casey just as a few members of the crowd began to move toward them. A second later, someone screamed and the rest of the crowd began to run in all directions. _So much for everything going smoothly tonight, _Dean thought as he ran.

* * *

_Uh oh... Things are about to get sticky. Will Crowley and Castiel succeed with their plan to snatch Bennett in order to protect Casey? What will Dean and Casey do about the demon problem in the museum... You'll have to come back for more to find out! :D Thank you to all who are reading and to those who are so kind to review. You make our day! _


	19. Chapter 19

_Hello folks! Get ready for some action in this one...and the next one...and, um, yeah...pretty much it is a wild ride right up to the end! :D We are only a few chapters out from the grand finale! _

_Enjoy!_

* * *

**Friday, 1910  
Field Museum Archive  
Chicago, IL**

Sam flipped through the last volume they had stacked on the table. Bennett was sitting on the edge of the table, head lowered as she squinted at an ancient text that neither of them could decipher. He took a picture of the one text that seemed to have the spell they needed. He hoped. He'd been taking a lot of pictures to be on the safe side.

"I think I've got what we need." He said, making sure the text showed up in the photo. Sliding his phone into his pocket, Sam was about to ask if she wanted to head back downstairs when he took a good look at her. She looked like she was in a daze. Walking over next to her, he asked, "Hey, what's up?"

Bennett frowned and looked up at him slowly, the book sliding out of her hands to hit the floor with a thump. Sam grabbed her shoulders when it looked like she was about to tip over. He could feel her shaking. Before she could answer him or he could ask her anything else, he heard what sounded like screaming and shouting from the main floor. _Wonderful._ Still holding her shoulders, Sam said softly, "Something's going on out there. Do you sense demons?"

She shook her head wordlessly and stared down at her hands.

Sam wanted to go check the hall, but he didn't trust her to remain sitting upright, so he reached for his phone instead. He tried Dean and got nowhere. Not five minutes ago, Dean had reported that all was well downstairs. What a difference a few minutes could make. He pulled out Ruby's knife and gave Bennett's shoulder a shake, drawing her attention back to him.

"Bennett?" He looked at her more closely. Something was very wrong and he almost forgot about whatever was going on downstairs. He asked, "What's going on?"

"I can't sense anything." Bennett whispered, voice trembling and shock in her eyes, "I can't hide. I can't do anything, Sam. I can't even paint a picture..."

"What?" Sam took a quick glance around them to make sure they weren't getting any uninvited guests, then focused on her again. He frowned, "Not even for yourself?"

She shook her head and rubbed her chest as she sucked in gasping breaths, "Not for me, not for anyone."

"Why not? What happened?" Sam asked, understanding why it seemed she was having a panic attack.

"I don't know! It just stopped..everything stopped." Her whole body was shaking, "What do I do?"

"It's ok, it's ok." He repeated with a smile, squeezing her hand and trying to keep her calm. She'd been hiding in her illusions for most of her life; if this was the first time she was completely without her one and only coping mechanism… Sam didn't even want to think about that. He said, "We'll figure it out."

Even as he tried to reassure her, the screams grew louder from downstairs and Sam knew they had to move. He pulled Bennett off the table and headed for the door. She came with him easily, but he could feel the tension radiating through her. Flipping the lights off, Sam cautiously glanced out the door. Nothing was happening upstairs, but, from the sounds of it, there was complete chaos downstairs. He was about to move toward the staircase when he felt Bennett slide to the ground. Turning his attention back from whatever was going on out there, Sam realized he needed to finish addressing this crisis before he could deal with anything else.

Kneeling next to her, Sam was relieved to see that she hadn't passed out. She had just slumped against the wall as if she couldn't stay on her feet any longer. She wasn't crying, simply sitting there silently and flinching every time there was another scream from downstairs. Sam leaned down and tried to catch her eye. He said quietly, "Bennett?"

"I can't go out there, Sam. I just can't," Bennett looked up at him, her fearful eyes full of tears.

"Yes you can."

"I can't! I need to hide…"

"You don't need to hide. You have me. I'm right here," he took her hand in his. "We can handle this."

"What if they come after me?" She asked, her voice a tiny whisper.

"Then we kick some demon butt. I'm not gonna let them get to you Bennett. Ok?" Sam said. He pulled her closer, his hand against the back of her head and whispered in her ear, "It's ok. Just take a deep breath, alright? I know this is all new to you, but this isn't the first time we've dealt with something like this."

Bennett nodded, took a few deep breaths, then sat back slightly and gave him a shaky smile. She pushed some loose strands of hair out of her eyes and whispered, "I thought this would be fun. You know? I've never been on a date."

Sam smiled, "A date?"

Her smile wavered. "I mean, it's sort of a date, right? Just because we're all dressed up and had somewhere to go. Not like Dean and Casey. That's a date. Because they're, um, together and all. I just meant, it's like…"

"I know what you meant, Bennett." Sam said, checking the hallway again. He looked back at her, into confused dark eyes. He said, "Hey. Maybe this didn't exactly work out. But we could…we could always try again sometime?"

Bennett tilted her head, "Another Gala?"

"Or, we could grab dinner and a movie." He smiled, feeling like an idiot. _Demons running rampant. __People in danger._ And he'd just asked a girl out on a date! Dean would never let him live it down if he ever found out. Bennett was still staring at him in mild confusion. He knew he couldn't backtrack; wasn't sure he wanted to anyway, so he asked, "You interested?"

"Yes."

"Good." He nodded, then leaned down and surprised them both when he gave her a quick kiss.

Even as he did so, his mind screamed at him, _What are you doing!_ When she kissed back, though, all the training, all the reasons he _shouldn't_ be doing what he was doing, vanished from his mind. Bennett wrapped her arms around his neck and scooted closer.

_Such a bad idea..._

"Wow." Bennett whispered a moment later, lips still within kissing distance. "That was…"

Sam nodded, "It was."

"We could get killed." Bennett said, then kissed him again.

"Any minute." Sam agreed, pulling her closer still.

"We should probably…"

"Mmmhmm…" He kissed her, wondering why in the world they had to be in the middle of a museum being invaded by demons. _Completely inconvenient_… He reluctantly pulled back, knowing they'd just wasted a couple crucial minutes. "We need to go."

Bennett sat back and asked, "Could we try this again later?"

"Absolutely." Sam grinned and pulled her to her feet. "We need to find them and get out of here. They're probably headed to Casey's office for their weapons." He was glad he had stopped off at the office earlier to grab Ruby's knife. He could hear footsteps on the staircase now. Definitely past time to go. "Come on, we'll work our way around the other way."

She took his hand and ran with him down the hall away from the staircase. Sam pulled out his phone to try Dean again.

_At least she's not panicking anymore,_ Sam thought to himself as they ran.

* * *

"This is _not_ how I saw this evening going." Dean groaned, pulling Casey down a side hallway. Chaos was all around them and he was focused on finding a defensible position. He was glad they had grabbed the red cloth earlier. At least that one single thing had gone right. Nothing else appeared to be going right. He took a hasty glance at the crowd. Not all the guests were possessed, apparently, but too many were and he didn't have Ruby's blade. _Should have grabbed our gear before we did anything else._

Casey shook her head and tugged at her dress in frustration. "We really shouldn't be so surprised." She watched as security guards and guests fled in every direction. "We need to get to my office. My angel blade is there and so are all of your weapons."

"You have an angel blade?" Dean asked in surprise.

"Yes." Casey nodded, beginning to get annoyed with all of the memory gaps the two now shared, thanks to her father. _He should have remembered that; I only saved his life with it a dozen times_… "Now can we move?"

Dean nodded and took off running down the hall towards Casey's office. After a few seconds, though, he heard a voice behind him.

"Hey! Slow down!"

Hearing Casey shouting, Dean stopped and turned around. He scanned the hallway and waited for her to catch up. He frowned as he watched her run awkwardly; she held one hand to her top, trying to keep everything in place, while her other hand yanked continually at her skirt.

"Can't keep up Echo?" He teased, watching the hallway behind her for signs of danger.

"Have you seen this dress? It doesn't really allow for running," Casey rolled her eyes, stumbling up to him and grabbing his elbow to keep from falling over. "This was exactly what I was afraid of."

"Fine," Dean shook his head and immediately threw Casey over his shoulder. He continued down the hall, despite Casey's protests.

"I said I couldn't run. I can still walk!" Casey complained. She pounded on his back and shouted, "Put me down."

"Not a chance. Gotta keep my woman safe!" Dean replied and Casey could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Neanderthal," Casey muttered under her breath.

Dean reached the door of Casey's office and opened the door. Once inside, he set her back on her feet. He probably shouldn't have left the smirk on his face, he realized a second later. She hauled off and smacked him across the face.

"Hey!" He shouted, "What was that for? You were running like a penguin."

"You do not just pull a woman off her feet and sling them over your shoulder like a sack of potatoes, Dean Winchester." Casey glared up at him. "That's the second time you've done something like that and Sam will be planning your funeral if you ever do it again."

"You're welcome." He said, ignoring her continued irritation. He started poking around in a drawer and asked, "So where's that angel blade of yours?"

"My desk," she said as she turned on her heel and walked over to her desk. She unlocked the drawer and pulled out the black velvet pouch that contained her angel blade. It had been a gift on her eighteenth birthday. _From Dad._ Mom had saved it for all those years and presented it to her according to her father's wishes. Since her memories had been erased after Purgatory, she hadn't been able to remember what it was, but now, now she remembered what her mom had told her.

_Casey, your father gave this to me when you were born. It is an angel blade. It is to be wielded only in the defense of good. You have great power, Casey, and your father has left you in my care to teach you. He loves you very much, even if he is unable to be with us right now.  
__Someday, he will find you. When he does, you will be ready to fight at his side._

Casey slid the sleek silver blade out of the pouch and lovingly touched it. The only thing her dad had ever given her. _Except for superpowers, of course_. She started to walk back over toward Dean, only to trip over her skirt again. _Crap._ She really loved this dress. Really loved it. But it was not going to work. Something had to be done. She looked over at Dean. He was standing guard by the door.

She called out, "Hey, do you have a knife on you? Nevermind, of course you do. Let me see it please."

"You just grabbed an angel blade, what do you need this for?" he asked, but handed her the knife.

"Wardrobe modification," she replied. Casey took the knife and cut her dress up the seam all the way to the middle of her thigh. She then cut the dress horizontally, turning the once beautiful evening gown into an unevenly cut mini-dress.

Dean's jaw dropped. _That is by far the sexiest thing I have ever seen a woman do,_ he thought to himself. "Wh… What did you do that for?" he asked, trying to regain his focus.

"Do you want to fight demons with your legs practically tied together?"

"I guess not. But I really liked that dress…" His voice was almost a whine.

Casey rolled her eyes. From the way he was staring at her legs, somehow she thought he didn't feel as bad about the dress as she did. She muttered, "You're telling me! Now let's get out of here. We need to find Bennett and Sam."

"I've been trying to call him, but I think something's screwing with the signals in here." Dean said.

"I'm not surprised." Casey said, pulling off her shoes. She tossed them by her desk and Dean gave her a confused look. "I'm not going to fight off the demon horde in five-inch stilettos."

"Too bad," Dean said, smiling at the thought.

She strode past him, barefoot. Angel blade in her hand, she called over her shoulder, "Let's go, Romeo."

* * *

"Run." Sam said, shoving Bennett ahead of him. The demons had come through a side door and nearly knocked them to the ground. He brought the knife down and killed the first demon. The other one hit him and sent him sprawling to the ground. But it was a good position from which to bring the blade up into the demon's gut. Finishing him off, Sam shoved the demon aside in time to see someone yank Bennett around a corner at the end of the hall.

She screamed bloody blue murder and he saw her kicking and struggling madly before she vanished. He jumped to his feet and ran down the hall after her. By the time he reached the end of the hall he saw the demon, who had probably thought snatching a girl in an evening gown would be an easy job, half dragging Bennett as she continued to fight against him. She might not have her abilities right now, but she certainly wasn't making it easy. Sam was able to run faster than they were moving, but he didn't have a lot of time. He wanted to reach them before the demon decided that it would just be easier to carry an unconscious person than one that was fighting him tooth and nail.

Too late. The demon saw him coming and took a split second to slam Bennett's head against the wall. Sam was almost to them when another demon came out of nowhere and pinned him against the wall. He held onto Ruby's knife, but it was going to be useless, he knew. Before the grinning demon could do anything, Sam heard a familiar voice.

"Hey ugly!" Dean shouted, throwing holy water at a demon that had just smashed Bennett into a wall. Coming around the corner from Casey's office, it was clear that they had arrived just in the nick of time.

The demon faltered and shouted in pain when the holy water hit him in the face. Bennett wriggled free from its grasp and managed a wicked left hook to the demon's jaw. As the demon staggered back, Bennett braced herself against the wall, a hand to her head. Dean poured more of the water on the demon and pulled Bennett away from the monster. He wondered why she wasn't using her funky superpowers. Something must have happened before he'd gotten there. There had to be some reason she hadn't just blasted the demon into oblivion. He stopped wondering and started worrying when she began to slide down the wall. He caught her arm and hauled her to her feet.

"Hey? You with me?" He asked, holding her against the wall and peering in concern at her.

"I'm good." Bennett smiled up at him, then promptly passed out.

"Sure you are." Dean muttered, picking her up.

"Come on!" Casey shouted from up the hall. She had just speared a demon through the chest and kicked him down. Sam was just beyond her, taking out another one. "We are not cleaning up all of this mess, guys! We need to get out of here now!"

Sam pulled the knife out and shouted, "Agreed. Make a path."

Casey followed his lead and used her power to throw half a dozen demons backwards. _That felt good!_ She and Sam led the way toward the back staircase as Dean carried Bennett over the bodies in their way. She looked around and realized they were about to be completely surrounded. Time for the overprotective men to let her do her job.

Looking over her shoulder, Casey called, "There's a door about fifty feet down that hallway. It'll take you to the service entrance. Get out of here."

"Not without you!" Dean shouted, although he wasn't in a place to argue given that he was holding Bennett at the moment.

Sam pointed and said, "Go, Dean, I'll back Casey up. Get Bennett out of here."

Dean hesitated for a second, then realized he didn't really have a choice. So he started down the hallway, realizing as he did that there were more demons coming at him, about to block his path to the door. Before he could shout for assistance, the demons dropped like a ton of bricks. He heard Casey shout, "You're welcome. Now run!"

He ran.

* * *

Casey turned her attention from dealing with the demons in the other hallway to the ones coming at her and Sam right now. _What? Is this a convention_? Seemed like every demon in Illinois thought tonight was a great night to visit the museum. She took a deep breath. Casey knew she was powerful and could probably take out all of the demons in one fell swoop. But she also knew she was walking a fine line. If she used that much power, her strength would be zapped and she wouldn't be of much help to anyone if something else happened. So she focused her attention on a few demons at a time. After taking them out, she moved to a few more while Sam fought at her side with his knife. When they were down to only a small handful, she switched to her angel blade and took out the few that were left.

"Wait," she called to Sam a moment later as he was about to kill the last demon.

He looked up at her, knife poised at the throat of the demon. "What? Why?"

"I want to ask him something first." She held out her hand, keeping the demon pinned to the wall, using her mind. "I got him Sam. You can let go."

Sam dropped his hand and took a step back.

"Now, I am going to ask you one simple question and you are going to give me one simple, honest answer. Got it, demon boy?" Casey said, her voice dark. "Why does Pestis want me?"

"I won't tell you anything. You're just gonna kill me no matter what." The demon replied.

"True." Casey shrugged. "But_ how_ you die is up to you. You can answer my question and I can kill you quickly. Or you can drag this out. But that will only make your death take longer."

Sam looked at Casey and the person he saw was not the woman he knew. Her eyes had taken on a steel gray color, not as vibrant as they were when she had used her powers before. No, now they were scary and dark. He watched as Casey tilted her head, studying the demon she had pinned to the wall.

"I think you forget who I am. Have you heard of Crowley? He usually goes by the title 'King of Hell,'" she said with a chilling smile. "Well he's my uncle. In fact, he practically helped raise me. He taught me a thing or two…" Casey trailed off as he she cut the demon's arm with the angel blade.

The demon screamed in pain.

"Hmmm… the pain must be…" Casey cut him again and grinned, "excruciating. Would you like to answer my question now?"

The demon jutted his chin out defiantly and spat, "Go to hell."

"I'll pass," Casey said and pushed the tip of the angel blade into the demon's thigh. Over the screams, she said, "I can do this all day big guy."

"Casey, I think you should stop. We need to…" Sam didn't finish. Casey whipped her head around and looked at him with terrifyingly gray eyes.

"You can go Sam. I won't stop you. But I'm not leaving until I get my answer." She pushed the blade further into the demon's leg. "What does Pestis want with me?"

"You are its true vessel." The demon sobbed. "A Nephilim is one of the only things that can destroy it. Pestis wants you as a host because not only will it be at its most powerful, but it would keep you from destroying it forever."

"Thank you, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Casey asked. She pulled the angel blade out of the demon's leg and thrust it through his heart. She watched as the white light burst from his eyes and mouth and then released him and let him crumple to the floor. "I got what I needed. Let's go Sam."

"Casey… we have to tell Dean about this," Sam said, concern in his eyes as he stared at her.

"Not yet. Please Sam," she turned to him, her eyes now their normal warm chocolate brown, "I don't want him to know what we just learned. Not until I know what to do with it. You know Dean. He's just going to worry even more about me and he doesn't need to."

"Fine, but you're gonna have to fess up eventually. Trust me, he doesn't take kindly to secrets," Sam told her. What she had done back there scared him. Dean needed to know but Sam decided they had more pressing matters to attend to first. He turned and followed Casey down the hall with the service exit and they headed out to find Bennett and Dean.

* * *

_Well, that was a bit intense, right? What in the world are they going to do next!? What do you think about Casey keeping secrets? What are the going to do about Bennett without her powers? Ahh... poor Team Winchester. Life is never easy on them, is it? _

_So...I have happy news. DamonsGirl92 and I were up rereading and editing this chapter...and it grew to epic proportions as we kept adding things. We split it into two chapters and you just read the first one. Now, me being a lover of cliffies, I was going to make you suffer until tomorrow for an update. DamonsGirl92, however, is the nice one of the two of us and has insisted I post both of them today! So I will get chapter 20 up for you all sometime this evening at her request. :D Hope you will enjoy it! _


	20. Chapter 20

_Here you go! I had no internet at home again so I'm at my local coffee shop so I can get this posted for all of you! Two chapters in one day, aren't you lucky! I will direct your thanks to DamonsGirl92 since she's the one who told me I had to post this for you today! :D Hope you all enjoy chapter 20!_

* * *

**Friday, 2145  
C****asey's Apartment  
****Chicago, IL**

"So what happened?" Dean asked, handing Sam a beer. They were sitting at the dining room table comparing notes while the girls changed out of their finery. Or what was left of Casey's finery. "Out of the blue she couldn't do anything?"

Sam nodded, "We heard the commotion downstairs and I looked at her and she looked like she was in shock. She didn't sense the demons. Couldn't paint a picture or hide from them."

Dean was puzzled, "How'd that happen? I mean, she just hulked out and now she can't even do what she could do _before_ Crowley gave her the introductory course?"

"That's the gist of it."

"Well it ain't good."

"No, it isn't." Sam agreed, looking up as Bennett wandered into the living room, a hand to her head. She headed straight for the couch and dropped onto it wearily. Casey walked in behind her, heading for the kitchen. Turning around in his seat, Sam asked, "How are you two doing?"

"Some of us are cranky." Casey muttered, reaching for an ice pack from the freezer. She headed back into the living room and gently put the ice pack on Bennett's head. Pointing her finger, Casey said, "This time stay put. You did good today but you probably have a concussion and you don't need to be moving around any more tonight. Got it?"

"We did ok, though?" Bennett asked softly. "I didn't screw anything up, right?"

"Nope."

"Even without my powers?"

"We don't need any extra powers." Casey grinned. "We've got a little something called female power."

Bennett smiled slightly and started to move again, but Casey pushed her back against the pillows and repeated, "Stay."

Bennett gave a thumbs up and curled up tighter, the ice pack clutched to her head.

Dean sipped his beer and sighed, "Looks like she feels great."

Sam nodded and headed out to the living room, shooting Casey a meaningful look as she passed on her way to the dining room table_. Tell him._

Casey shook her head slightly. _Later._

"Hey, how're you really doing?" Dean asked as Casey joined him at the table. She looked troubled. And tired.

"I'm ok. Just a busy evening, you know?" She smiled and reached over to touch his face. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. Casey asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for the save earlier," Dean returned her smile.

"Yeah, well, gotta protect my man," she mocked.

Dean rolled his eyes then asked, "So, what happened after I got Bennett out? You guys were in there for a while."

"Not much. There were a lot of demons and I didn't want to use my powers too much," Casey lied. She glanced at Sam. _You better back me up here._

He met her eyes from across the room where he sat on the coffee table next to Bennett. He said, "After she took out the demons in your hallway we went back to the good ol' stab the demon method."

"But you're both okay?" Dean confirmed, looking between them both.

"Yep," Casey said as Sam replied "Fine."

Dean looked skeptical but nodded. "Well, I say we hit the sack and regroup in the morning. We all look like crap."

"Speak for yourself; I look fabulous!" Casey teased. She looked down at her t-shirt and flannel pajama pants. _Yep, fabulous_. Past time for bed.

Dean nodded as he studied her, "You do look kind of fabulous."

"I look like a hot mess is what I look like." She yawned, "And this hot mess of female power is going to sleep."

"Looks like we lost our couch." Dean nodded at the living room. Sam was sitting on the edge of the couch carrying on a quiet conversation with Bennett. She was still curled up on her side and it didn't look like either of them were inclined to go anywhere.

Casey smiled and shrugged, "Come on."

* * *

"Now what do I do?" Bennett asked, snuggling into Casey's pretty pillow. Her head was pounding, but she was more worried about the fact that she couldn't hide from the demons anymore. It felt like her world had imploded. Again. And this time, she just didn't know if she could deal with it. If she even wanted to try.

"Now you get some sleep." Sam said firmly, pulling a blanket off the back of the couch and spreading it over her. He studied her pale, bruised face. The confidence and excitement she had displayed after she had used her powers to destroy the house filled with demons completely vanished. Bennett's eyes were easy to read. _Hopeless._

Sam said, "We're going to figure this out, Bennett. Ok? Whatever it takes, we'll figure it out. You're safe, though. You know that, right?"

She blinked slowly, rubbing her forehead, "I guess. I feel like something is missing, though; part of me. What if it never comes back, Sam?"

"You don't have to have it." He squeezed her hand. "It isn't you. That power, it wasn't something you wanted or asked for. It wasn't something _I_ wanted. If it comes back, then you can make your own decisions about how you want to handle it. Hopefully you're wiser than I was. But if it doesn't come back, you still get to make your own decisions. Right?"

Bennett nodded slowly and sighed. "Can I sleep here? I don't want to move."

Sam smiled. Dean and Casey had already left and turned down the lights. Apparently, they weren't planning to fight Bennett for the couch. Studying her apprehensive face, Sam knew he wasn't going anywhere either. He grabbed another pillow and tossed it on the floor in front of the couch. He said, "You can stay there. I'm going to be right here, ok?"

"Thanks, Sam." She smiled sleepily and rolled onto her side so she could keep ahold of his hand while he stretched out on the floor next to the couch.

* * *

Casey plopped down onto her bed totally exhausted. Between the stuffy old people, the demons, and the curveball of information she had be thrown, all she wanted to do was go to sleep. She pulled back the covers and slid underneath.

"Will you hurry up?" she complained to Dean, who seemed to be taking an hour to brush his teeth.

"I'm working on it," Dean said, poking his head out of the bathroom, toothbrush in mouth.

Casey groaned and twisted in bed trying to get comfortable. She couldn't help but think about the days events while she waited. _She_ was the vessel that Pestis wanted. Not Bennett. No one seemed to think either of them would be able to take Pestis out. Casey felt her stomach twist remembering the last time she'd gone up against the monster. She'd saved Dean and Sam, but had nearly died in the process. She should be strong enough. According to everything she remembered her mom telling her about Nephilim, she should be able to deal with it. Maybe, if she tried again, she'd do better since she knew what she was up against.

"Echo? Hey, earth to Casey…" Dean waved a hand in front of her face to get her attention.

"Sorry. I was just lost in thought." She said as he slipped beneath the covers and moved closer to her. She shifted to lay her head on his chest and he encircled his arms around her protectively.

"I love you," Dean whispered and placed a kiss in her hair.

"I love you too, Dean," she said back, relaxing slightly. It didn't take long before she drifted off into a troubled sleep.

* * *

"Casey."

"Dad?" She blinked, wondering how she had ended up in her house. Glancing around she realized she wasn't in her apartment, but in the house where she'd grown up. _What in the world? _She couldn't see her dad. Searching the room, Casey tried to move into the next room, but found she couldn't leave the living room. She asked, "Where are you?"

"I can't come right now. You need to listen, Casey."

"Ok. I'm listening."

"Pestis is in Gary, Indiana. It is angry, Casey. You all have been keeping Bennett away from it and Pestis is tired of all the weak vessels it has been forced to take."

Casey frowned, "It wants me, dad. One of the demons told me that it wants me not her."

"I know. You need to listen to me. There isn't much time. You were born for this. This is how it has always had to be. Casey, you need to go and let Pestis take you over."

"What?" She spun, searching the room in vain. "What are you talking about?"

"You're a Nephilim. You are what Pestis needs. If you go and let Pestis in, you can destroy it."

Casey shook her head, completely at a loss. "Dad, you aren't making any sense. This isn't what you said before."

"I had to keep some things from you because you've been with the Winchesters. They would only try to stop you, Casey. They don't understand that you are strong enough to do this. Listen carefully, I know this is difficult. I will meet you there. I have a spell I can use against Pestis. But it must be in a stable host in order for me to destroy it."

"And what about me?" Casey asked incredulously. "What's it going to do to me?"

"You need to trust me. I would never let anything happen to you, Casey. We must do this tonight if you want your friends to live."

Casey shook her head, pounding on the door, trying to get out, to find her dad, to wake up. Something. She asked, "What are you talking about?"

"They're going to die. All of them. Pestis wants you, but it's more than happy to settle for Bennett. She's immune, so she'll live a long, long life as its prisoner before Pestis consumes her. The first people Pestis is going to kill after it takes Bennett over is the Winchesters. You don't want that."

"No!" She felt dizzy. "Stop, stop. I'll do it. Just...tell me where to go, Dad."

He gave her an address, then said, "You can't tell them, Casey. They'll just try to stop you. You need to leave now. Now!"

* * *

Casey came awake in Dean's arms, listening to the sound of his heart beat and trying to calm her own pounding heart. She'd awakened almost paralyzed with fright. In her whole life her father hadn't shown up in her dreams, and now, now he was scaring the living daylights out of her. Trying to ease her breathing, she slowly moved out of Dean's embrace. There was no choice. She frowned, missing the warmth of his arms around her. _Focus Casey._ This has to be done, she told herself. She sat up to get out of the bed but stopped to study his sleeping form. He looked so peaceful when he was sleeping. Like nothing bothered him and the weight of the world wasn't resting on his shoulders.

Casey slid out of bed and went to her closet to get dressed. She stepped out and with one last longing look at Dean, she slipped out the door and into the living room.

She studied Sam and Bennett for a moment, a smile touching her lips. They were holding hands in their sleep. Bennett practically falling off the couch to reach Sam. Sam looked uncomfortable, but content where he was. _I really hope this is the right thing. I promised to protect you, Bennett. Keep them safe while I'm gone_, she thought.

Reaching for the door she glanced back at her home and her new family one last time. Then she stepped out into the night.

* * *

Something disturbed his sleep. Dean shifted, coming awake slowly. When things disturbed his sleep, usually it meant something was wrong. He blinked in the dark and rubbed his eyes, realizing Casey was no longer snuggled close to him. Wide awake, he sat up and called her name softly. No answer. Not overly worried, he flipped on the light. Room empty.

_Huh._ Maybe she went for drink of water? With everything going on, he wasn't inclined to trust that was all. So he got up and headed down the hallway toward the living room. He snorted when he saw Bennett curled up on the floor next to Sam, her head on his chest and his arms wrapped around her. Trying not to disturb them, he went into the kitchen. Empty. Frowning, he started getting that twitchy feeling in his gut. He searched the front room, then headed back down the hallway, flipping on the lights as he went. She wasn't in the spare room, wasn't in the other bathroom, wasn't in the library. Wasn't anywhere.

He pulled out his cell phone to call her.

* * *

Casey drove down the empty highway, her heart breaking more with each mile. She didn't want to leave her friends, her _family_, but she needed to do this. She needed to protect them. It was terrifying to consider what she would have to do, but to protect them she would do anything. Casey let her hand rest on her angel blade. Her dad was meeting her there. He was going to use the spell and together they'd rid the world of Pestis.

Her ringing phone startled her out of her musing. Dean. She had hoped he wouldn't figure out she was gone until morning. Taking a deep breath, she answered the phone, trying to keep her tone light, "Hey Deano, what's up?"

"Echo, where are you?" Dean asked, concern in his voice. "I woke up and you were gone. I thought…"

"I just went for a drive. I needed some air." Casey lied.

"What's going on? What are you doing?"

"Please, don't make this any harder than it has to be," she said. Casey found herself fighting back the tears that wanted to fall. _Leaving for a suicide mission isn't easy; especially when the man you love is pleading on the other end of the phone._ "I have to do this."

"Do what? What are you talking about?"

"Dean, I had a dream. Dad just told me that I'm the only one, the _only one_ who can deal with Pestis. I have to go and meet him now."

"Absolutely not!" His voice was sharp, "You don't have to do this alone. Whatever it is you think you have to do. Come back and we'll do this together. Just like we promised."

Casey thought back to their time in Purgatory. Back to when they promised to take on the dangers of their lives. Together. She felt the first tear fall, and it was as if the floodgates had been opened.

"Dean, please…" she swallowed hard, "please try to understand. I have to protect Bennett and Sam. I have to protect you."

"Casey… please. Don't leave… don't leave me. I can't do this without you," Dean said, his voice breaking despite his best efforts.

"I'm sorry. I don't have a choice." Casey said, watching taillights blur and dance ahead of her.

"Casey…"

"I love you Dean Winchester. Don't you ever forget that!"

"Case…"

She didn't hear the rest of Dean's pleading. She hung up the phone before he could finish and dropped it on the seat next to her. Unable to contain her emotions anymore, she pulled off to the side of the road and parked the car. She sat in her Mustang and cried like she hadn't since her mom died. Emotions flooded through her and this time she didn't try to stop them. Fear was first. Fear of what was going to happen when she went up against Pestis. Fear that Dean was going to do something stupid. Fear that she would fail and her friends would die.

Anger was next. She was so angry. Angry at her father who took away her memories. Angry that her father couldn't be bothered to talk to her like a normal dad. Angry that she was never going to see Dean again after just finding him. The anger eventually faded and turned to sadness. She scrubbed at her eyes, trying to recover enough to get back on the road.

She didn't have a lot of time.

* * *

Sam was jolted out of a sound sleep by the sound of his brother shouting Castiel's name at the top of his lungs. He tried to move, but there was a weight against his chest. He blinked and realized that Bennett had rolled off the couch at some point. When Dean shouted again, Bennett sat up, terror in her eyes as she awakened. She pressed back against the couch and, like a cornered animal, looked in every direction. Sam sat up and grabbed her shoulders and made her look him in the eye.

"Bennett! It's ok, it's ok. Take it easy." Sam said and tried to keep his advice in mind as he heard Dean shout again. He patted her on the shoulder and pulled the blanket around her. "It's ok. Stay put. I'll be right back."

She nodded, not looking very reassured. Sam realized the hall lights were on and ran into Dean halfway down the hallway. His brother looked furious and was dressed and sliding his gun into the back of his jeans. He shouted Cas' name again.

"Dean? What is it?" Sam asked, "What's going on?"

"Casey's gone." Dean said, pushing past him. "Cas! Get yourself down here."

Sam knew his brother well and could easily read the anger and panic in his demeanor. Trying to figure out what had happened, he asked, "What's going on?"

"She said Cas told her to go take out Pestis on her own."

"What!" Sam exclaimed, stomach dropping. "You can't be serious."

Dean shook his head, murder in his eyes. "Casey was serious when she drove off to who knows where. Get ready, we're going after her. Cas! Where are you?"

Bennett was already pulling on her boots, having slept in her clothes. Sam pulled on a shirt over his t-shirt and put on his own boots. He couldn't figure out why Cas would have told Casey to go after Pestis on her own. Didn't make sense at all. But Cas had been acting strange all along. Something about Casey being his daughter was really messing with his head. _His and Dean's actually_.

Sam was packing their weapons kit when Cas appeared. He stood at the front window; leaned, actually. He had a hand on the window and wavered as Sam crossed the room.

"Dean." Sam called, realizing the angel was bleeding. He'd taken a beating and Sam reached him in time to ease Castiel's journey as he slid down to the floor. "Bennett, grab some towels."

"Cas, what did you tell Casey?" Dean growled, crossing the room.

Sam put out a hand to hold his brother off the angel. One hand wasn't enough and he had to spin around and stand up to push Dean away. "Dean! Don't!"

"Let me go, Sam!"

"No. He's injured."

"He'll be more injured in a minute…"

"Dean, stop it!" Sam shoved him back. "Stop it. We don't know what's going on."

"I'm sorry." The angel's voice was soft.

Sam turned and saw Cas shaking his head slowly, leaning back against the window as if completely without strength. Still holding one hand against his brother's chest, Sam saw Bennett drop to her knees next to Cas and press one of the cloths against a bleeding wound on his shoulder. He looked at Dean to make sure he wasn't going to break free and try to strangle Cas. Dean looked like he wanted to punch something, preferably Cas, but he also looked like he was going to exercise some self-restraint. For the moment.

"What happened to you?" Bennett asked gently.

Cas said, "Pestis."

"What?" Dean asked, moving closer as Bennett skittered backwards. "When?"

"Not long ago. It's not far. Indiana. Pestis has been burning through vessels rapidly. And it's not happy about it."

Sam had to bodily hold Dean back as he lunged forward and shouted, "Why would you send Casey after it?"

Cas' eyes widened and the weakness and pain seemed to fall away. He pushed Bennett aside as if she didn't exist and pulled himself unsteadily to his feet. He glared at Dean, "What are you talking about?"

"I just got off the phone with your daughter." Dean stabbed a finger in the air, "She said you were in her dream and told her everyone was going to die if she didn't go after it. On her own!"

"I said nothing of the sort."

Sam watched as Cas' expression began to take on the same intensity and anger as Dean's. Sam asked, "Dean, she said it was a dream?"

"Yes." Dean nodded.

"Cas, you didn't send her out on her own?" Sam turned back to the angel.

Cas shook his head. His distress was palpable as he whispered, "Why would I send my daughter out alone?"

Sam was conflicted. Cas had lied to them before. Many times, actually. But it was Cas. Even Dean seemed to be relaxing slightly. Sam asked, "This was never part of your plan, was it Cas?"

"Our plan was always to let Pestis have the immune host." He motioned slightly behind him to Bennett.

"Our plan?" Sam asked, feeling his own anger surface.

Cas looked surprisingly guilty, "Crowley and I."

"Crowley and you?" Dean sputtered incredulously. "Since when do you work with Crowley? What exactly did your brilliant plan entail?"

"We do not have time for this, Dean." Cas said firmly, only wavering slightly now.

"Make time," Dean said taking a threatening step forward.

Cas took a deep breath and sighed, "As I said, the plan was to always let Pestis have the girl. But her ability to hide became a problem. So Crowley found a spell that temporarily will block her abilities."

"And you let him?" Sam shouted. "You let Crowley take away the only shred of protection that Bennett had? How could you do that?"

"I had to protect my daughter. _She_ is my priority; not some random girl pulled up from hell," Cas replied in a flat voice.

It was Dean's turn to hold Sam back as he made a move to punch Cas. "Easy there little brother," Dean warned, feeling every bit as angry as Sam. "We still need him conscious if we're gonna find my girl."

"She is not your girl Dean!" Cas shot at him. "Under the circumstances that you were in during your stay in purgatory, it made sense to cling to one another. But now, you don't need to be in her life. When this is all over, I don't want you seeing my daughter again."

"That's not gonna happen Cas," Dean replied in a icy tone.

"We can discuss this later but for now…" Cas started.

"There is nothing to discuss, and if you try that 'you can't see my daughter' crap again, especially in front of Echo, I'll punch you so hard, your wings will fall off," Dean said, his voice threatening.

"I'd like to see you try, boy," Cas took a step towards Dean; his eyes mirroring the same anger.

Before anyone could say anything else, Bennett stood up from her spot against the wall and placed herself between the two men; well one man and one angel. A hundred emotions ran through her system. She was hurt that an angel would have brought her back from hell only to be so callous about planning to use her as an incubator for a monster. Angry that he would do such a thing, angry that she'd been cursed with the abilities that she could now even use at the moment. Terrified for Casey. And just plain fed up with life in general. She felt incredibly tiny next to the three men, but she didn't care.

"Listen!" She said loudly enough that all three men stopped staring at each other and trading angry expressions. They all looked down at her. Bennett shook her head in exasperation and said, "I feel like I'm in high school again. Stop acting like a bunch of idjits, will ya?"

Dean and Sam both quirked an eyebrow at her, but remained silent.

Bennett took a deep breath and went on, "Right now I don't give a crap about who is dating or who you are all related to. It doesn't matter. What matters is that I can no longer protect myself or anyone else from the demons and Casey has gone on a suicide mission to who knows where. You," she turned to Dean, "you need to calm the heck down and figure out a way of getting rid of this plague monster. I'm sick of it running around like it rules the planet. And you," she turned to Cas and seared him with a glare, "you need to undo whatever it is the butler of hell did to me."

All three guys just stared at her in surprise. Bennett put her hands on her hips and said, "Well? Are you just going to stand there or are we going to do something about the mess we're in?"

"Right," Dean said, taking a deep breath and trying to diffuse his anger. She was pretty spunky to stand up to the three of them. And she was right. He nodded, "Thanks for that, Bennett. You're totally right."

"Casey would have, _has_, done the same for me." Bennett said, her bravery diminishing as the worry took over again. She pleaded, "Just find her."

"I will find Casey and bring her back before Pestis can get to her." Cas said, ignoring Bennett's demand that he undo the spell. He wasn't taking any chances until he found Casey.

Sam nodded, "You think it was Pestis who lured her?"

"Pestis is part angel and angels have the ability to mimic human voices." Cas nodded. He looked at each of them in turn and said, "This means Pestis is growing incredibly desperate. I will find my daughter. You need to prepare because we will soon find ourselves in a battle."

"Hey!" Bennett spoke up, "What about me?"

"I do not know what the spell was that Crowley used and so I cannot reverse its effects." Cas said dismissively. "I will return as swiftly as possible."

They stood there in silence for a moment after Cas disappeared. Dean clenched his fists and shook them in frustration. Sam was about to suggest they pack the Impala when the front door flew open and all the windows in the apartment shattered into a million pieces.

* * *

_Ahhh! What did you think? And you can thank DamonsGirl92 for the second chapter today and you can all now hate me for leaving you on such an awful cliffy! :D Next update tomorrow evening...no matter how far I have to go to find wiffy (as good old Bobby Singer would say). And...just to give you all an idea of where we are at on this story... I'm looking at this being completed by Sunday! There are only three more chapters! Please let us know what you think if you have time... Makes us so happy to read your lovely reviews! We are overwhelmed and humbled by all the nice things you folks have had to say about our little tale. Thank you thank you! _

_~love from Noxbait and DamonsGirl92_


	21. Chapter 21

_Whew... wasn't sure I was going to get this up tonight. Long day at work...didn't get home till 9pm. Ick. But getting this up has made my evening oh so much better than my day was... Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

**Friday, 2320  
H****ighway ****Illinois**

As Casey fought to gain control over her tears, she heard the faint fluttering of wings. She looked up and saw Cas sitting in her passenger seat. Shocked to see him, she asked, "What are you doing here? I thought you were meeting me…"

"I wasn't the one who sent you. It wasn't me in your dream," Cas said, studying her closely. Her face was tear-stained but she was alive. He wasn't too late.

"What are you talking about?" Casey stared at him in shock.

"Pestis is the one that contacted you in your dream. It wants you and is growing desperate." Cas explained, heart heavy seeing the turmoil in her eyes. He'd stayed away to protect her. All those years he had stayed away. All those years of trying to pretend she didn't exist. Years trying to forget Lucy. The woman he had fallen deeply, inexplicably in love with. Another pang of deep sorrow jolted him and he had to shake his head to return to the present. "Pestis is going to do whatever it takes to possess you, Casey."

"That doesn't make any sense." She paused, and shook her head, then reconsidered, "Well I guess it does because I'm the one that can stop it. Whatever. It doesn't change anything. I'm still going," Casey said, her voice stronger now and more determined.

"You must not. This thing will destroy you." Cas tried to reason with his daughter but she was not giving in without a fight.

"Oh, so now you care about me?" Casey spat at him, feeling the anger return.

"I have always cared for you Casey; you're my daughter," Cas said, his eyes searching hers, heart heavy.

The two stared at each other for a moment. Finally breaking the silence, Casey asked, "Dean sent you didn't he?"

"He did. Though I would have come no matter what." Cas answered; deciding it was wiser not to mention everything that had gone on back at her apartment while she'd been gone. "Why won't you let them help you?"

"I don't want to risk them getting hurt. I promised Bennett," she answered, looking away.

"You always were a stubborn child." Cas smiled slightly. "Do you remember when you used to hold your breath to get your way? Until you almost passed out. Your mother used to laugh at you when you weren't looking. You were about four I think."

Casey's jaw dropped. "How do you know about that?"

"I told you, I always watched over you. You were always in my sight, even if you couldn't see me, I saw you," Cas said. He took her hand in his and smiled. "I loved your mother desperately, Casey. And you were always both my proudest achievement and my worst mistake. You are special. Nephilims should not exist. If others found out they would have destroyed you. I could not let that happen. Which is why I stayed away. Because I loved you far too much to risk your life by being present."

Casey looked at her father and really saw him for the first time. He truly cared for her and she for him. They did not have a typical father/daughter relationship, and never would, but she finally understood why he had done what he had. For the first time in her life, she had a father who could chase away the fear. Surprising herself, she slid closer to Cas and wrapped her arms around him. She buried her face in his chest and whispered, "I'm scared, Dad."

Cas closed his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "I know. That is why you have to go back. Do not take this thing on by yourself. Let your friends help you."

"But what if something happens to them? What if I can't protect them?" she asked, the tears falling again.

"Your mother used to tell you not to worry about the 'what-ifs' in life, did she not?"

Casey nodded into his chest and sniffed, "Yeah, I guess she did."

"Then I think it is time we head back," Cas said, smiling gently down at his daughter.

"Will you drive back with me?"

"Of course."

* * *

**Saturday, just after midnight  
****Casey's Apartment  
****Chicago, IL**

Casey knew something was wrong as soon as they got off the elevator. Something felt wrong; smelled wrong. Demons. Their stench was all over and she broke out in a cold sweat as she ran toward her apartment. The door stood open and her heart nearly stopped. She tried to convince herself that someone must have just heard her coming and opened the door. But no, when she felt the cold breeze on her skin, she knew something was very wrong.

"Dean!" She shouted as she ran through the door and into the front hallway. Icy winter wind whipped through her hair. No one would open the windows on such a cold night. Casey ran into the living room and found the front windows were gone. No wonder the wind was blowing through her apartment. The lights were flickering in and out and for a moment, Casey couldn't move.

"Dean," she whispered. Her blood ran as cold as the wind coming through the windows when she didn't hear a response. The living room was trashed. Her expensive furniture, the priceless art on her walls, destroyed. More importantly, though, _where is he? Please don't be dead_! Casey tried to breathe through the panic and get her feet to move.

"Casey, we should go," Cas warned, head tilted and eyes far away. "Something is happening…"

"No. Not yet. I need to find him…" Casey started but stopped when she heard a grunt coming from behind the couch. Running toward the couch, she shouted over the wind, "Dean? Is that you?"

"Sorry, just me." Sam's voice was soft, "What… Ow. What happened?"

"Stop moving." Casey crouched next to him, wary of the shattered glass all around them, and pushed his shoulders down as he attempted to sit up. His face was bleeding in several places, but it was from superficial cuts. She was far more concerned about the larger shard of glass embedded in his left arm. Not to mention the growing pool of blood rapidly spreading below him all over her white carpet. _It's bad,_ she realized, putting her hands around the bleeding wound. "Just stay still. Dad, see if you can find me something to stop the bleeding."

"Where's Dean?" Sam tried to look past her, but he seemed to be having trouble keeping his eyes open. "Bennett?"

"I don't know, Sam." Casey said, her voice shaking as he seemed to fade even as she watched. She shook his shoulder and he looked up at her, blinking slowly. "Just hang on, ok? You're bleeding…"

"Move," Cas said, kneeling beside her and gently nudging her away from Sam's arm.

Casey moved to put Sam's head gently in her lap and brushed some hair out of his eyes. "You really need a haircut, Chewbacca."

He didn't respond and Casey looked up at Cas with pleading eyes. Help him. Cas nodded and placed two fingers on Sam's forehead. Casey huffed out a frustrated breath. Why hadn't she thought of that? Clearly, she wasn't fully acclimated to her abilities. Thankfully, her father was completely on top of the situation and within moments, the shard of glass disappeared, color came back into Sam's pale face and the bleeding stopped.

"Sam?" Casey asked.

"I'm ok." He nodded and let Cas pull him upright. "Where's Dean and Bennett?"

Casey shook her head and they all stood up and looked around the room. She shivered in the cold breeze, "I don't know. We just got here and found you bleeding all over my carpet."

"Sorry about that, Casey." Sam said, grabbing the weapons bag and pulling out his phone to dial his brother. No answer. "I just remember Cas had gone after you and then the room exploded."

Cas walked to the window, his trench coat billowing out behind him in the strong winds. He turned back slightly and said, "Something is wrong. I will return."

"Cas!" Sam shouted, but the angel disappeared before he could say anything else. "Crap."

"He really doesn't have any social skills, does he?" Casey asked wearily.

Sam shook his head, "No he doesn't. I just wish he'd told me where…"

"There is a great disturbance at Navy Pier." Cas said, appearing between Sam and Casey who both jumped backwards at his abrupt arrival. He glanced up at Sam, "The demons are gathering. I am assuming that is where Dean and the girl are."

"Great. Thanks." Sam said, shaking his head and glaring at Cas. His heart was still pounding from Cas' unexpected reappearance. _I hate it when he does that_. "Then I guess we need to visit Navy Pier."

"The Midwest's number one tourist attraction." Casey quipped. She glanced at her father, who once again was squinting out the window. "Dad? What is it?"

"I must go."

"What?" Casey exclaimed. "You're not coming with us? Why?"

"Abbadon is up to something elsewhere." Cas said enigmatically.

Sam extended his hands and shrugged, "So? She always is. Isn't that what this whole mess is about?"

Cas frowned at him, "It is. But this... there is something worse brewing…"

"Worse than the black plague showing up, live and in person?" Sam raised his eyebrows, "Because I just don't see…"

"I do not have a choice, Sam." Cas said, then turned to Casey. He touched her cheek, "Casey, the four of you can handle this. I would never go if I had a choice. The moment I am able, I will meet you there. I'm sorry."

"Dad." Casey shook her head, torn. She desperately wanted to get to the Pier and find Dean and Bennett, but she was also afraid to let her dad go. "What if…"

Cas smiled, "No what if's, remember? You must do this and I must go. I promise you, Casey, I will come and find you when I am able. I won't stay away any longer than necessary."

"Promise."

"I promise." Cas stepped back. "I know where to find you."

And then he was gone. Casey breathed out a sigh and said, "I have often wondered what it would be like to have a normal family. A normal father."

Sam looked down at her and gave her a half smile. "I've spent a lot of time wondering about that my entire life, Casey."

"On the bright side," Casey conceded, fingering her angel blade and looked up at Sam, "Our fathers might not have been normal, but they never made a crossroads deal with us as the bargaining chip."

"True. What do you say we go find them?" Sam asked, slinging the weapons bag over his shoulder.

Casey nodded and reached out a hand, "How about we take an angelic shortcut?"

* * *

**Location Unknown**

It had been pure luck. Nothing but luck. Or maybe it was just that he had just run into the dumb demons. He supposed there had to be varying levels of intelligence just like in humans. Dean slashed Ruby's knife through the demon's neck. The demon had been in a small room reciting some kind of incantation. Dean wasn't sure what it was, but it probably hadn't been anything good. He eased the body to the ground as quietly as possible, then softly slipped closer to the door. Everything was silent for the moment, so he paused to catch his breath. He pulled out his phone and cursed under his breath. Still no signal. He didn't like it at all. Standing there hoping for the phone to connect, Dean thought back to everything that had happened...

The moment after Cas had gone after Casey, her living room had exploded. Dean had been flung into the kitchen wall and felt shards of glass tear into his skin as he rolled to his feet. There had been no time to think. Several demons had rushed the room and one grabbed Bennett before he could get to her. He watched as Sam moved to stop the demon holding Bennett. The demon threw him across the room. Dean called out to Sam but got no answer.

Worried for his brother, he glanced at Bennett. The poor girl looked flat out terrified; obviously she still had no powers. Dean rushed around the counter, grabbing Ruby's knife as he went. He slashed at the demon closest to him, still trying to get to Bennett.

Another demon rushed him and he quickly thrust the blade into its gut. The demon crumpled to the floor and Dean focused his attention on the only demon left, the one that had just grabbed Bennett. Even as Dean ran forward, the demon held Bennett with one hand and used its other to pin Dean to the wall. He could feel his airway closing as he struggled to breathe. His eyes locked with Bennett's again. Another one I couldn't save, he thought as his vision started to go dark.

His thoughts went to Casey as the dark spots began to dance in front of his eyes. _Baby, I loved you_! was his last thought before everything went dark.

When Dean came to he was in an unfamiliar room. The walls were bare and gray, the floor was damp and cold. He wasn't tied up and by some miracle, still had Ruby's blade. As if he'd been dumped without a second thought. Good for him, not so good for any demons around. _First thing's first, Dean. Where the heck are you_? He pulled himself to his feet and looked out the only window in the room. He saw a giant Ferris Wheel and water. _So, Navy Pier. Ok, now how do I get out of here?_

Dean scanned the room and found a door. There was a demon inside reciting an incantation and not paying any attention to anything around him. _My lucky day_, he thought as he quietly slashed the demon's throat and stepped into the hall.

He put his phone back in his pocket. Stupid phone! _Why do I never get a signal when I need one_? Frustrated, Dean continued down the hall. It was too quiet, and his heightened senses had him on edge.

He approached the first door he came to and checked the handle. It was unlocked. Tentatively, he pushed inside. Empty. Dean closed the door and continued the same process as he went down the hall. On the fourth empty room he was beyond irritated. _Why is this place empty? Why would they just leave me here? Stupid demons_!

Closing the door, he heard the fluttering of wings. Spinning around, knife at the ready, he stared at the faces of the two people he cared about most. Two people he thought were dead.

"Sam? Echo?" Dean lowered the blade and ran to meet them. Before he could stop himself, he swept Casey into a crushing hug. The knots in his stomach loosened with the feel of her solid weight in his arms. The knots came back, however, the moment he'd remembered she'd gone off on her own.

He stepped back from her, hands on her shoulders, "Why would you do that? Why would you leave? I thought we were a team. We're in this together, Casey."

"Dean, I'm so sorry," Casey said, looking up at him in concern.

Dean wouldn't meet her eyes. Didn't want to see the apology in them. Didn't want to hear it. She left. How could she? Casey reached a hand out to touch him but he moved just out of her reach. Too angry to talk to her about her little suicide mission, he let his eyes do a once over and asked her gruffly, "You ok?"

Casey nodded and stepped back. "I'm ok."

"Good." He turned his attention to Sam, "How about you, Sammy?"

"Yeah, Cas fixed me up," Sam replied. "You look like crap though."

"Crap happens." Dean said, turning away. He ignored Casey's attempt to move closer to him. He wasn't interested in whatever she was going to try to say. They still had one member of their team to rescue. Focusing on what they had to do now, Dean said, "Let's go."

* * *

Bennett drifted on a softly swaying boat. She let her hand slip into the cool water as the breeze tickled her face. Just as she began to feel like she might fall asleep, the boat tipped and she fell. Instead of hitting water, cold or otherwise, she smacked into hard, cold ground. The pounding behind her eyeballs tripled and she groaned, rolling onto her side and curling into a ball. Everything hurt and she was freezing. It wasn't long before the chills became more aggravating than the pain. Mostly because the chills aggravated the pain. Bennett pushed herself to her hands and knees, keeping her head down.

After a moment, she managed to lift her eyes enough to glance around and see that she was in a huge room. A ballroom? What in the world? It was dark and cold and empty and Bennett felt terribly alone. Looking up, she saw moonlight filtering in through the windows. She tried to rise, but ended up falling back onto her butt, cradling her head. Forcing herself to keep focused, Bennett lifted her head and looked around again. Everything was pretty fuzzy, but she had a vague remembrance of an explosion or something. Casey's apartment. Castiel had just gone to find Casey and…

"Sam?" Bennett called out in a voice just above a whisper. "Dean?"

_Please be ok. Please, please come find me._ She waited, holding her breath. She remembered the demons running into the room and that both of the guys had tried to come rescue her, only to be stopped. Bennett shivered remembering that Sam had been bleeding and the last view she'd had of Dean had been of him being strangled by another demon.

"Guys?" She tried again.

Continued silence was the only response she got and her heart skipped a beat. She was truly alone. And completely exposed. No matter how she tried, she still couldn't paint a picture. Her breathing hitched and she spun to the side and threw up everything she'd eaten the day before. It gave her no relief, though, because her head still hurt, she was still alone, and had no way to deal with any of it. Retching and moaning, Bennett wanted to curl up and die.

But she couldn't. She didn't know what had happened, but it hadn't been good. And if she'd been dumped here, there was a good chance that nothing good had happened to Sam or Dean. And Casey… She gritted her teeth. Castiel must have reached her in time. He must have. Bennett refused to believe anything to the contrary. But hoping wasn't getting her any answers about anything. So she rose on shaky legs and looked for a way out of the room.

There were multiple doors. All of which seemed about a thousand miles away. Trying to keep her breathing even and the little dark spots away from her vision, Bennett started walking toward the closest door. Locked. Of course it was. She started pounding on the door, then stopped, fresh fear spreading through her body. What if demons were out there? What if? No, she reminded herself of Casey's words, don't worry about 'what ifs.' Bennett leaned against the door. Surely there were demons around. She hadn't just appeared in this place. Something had brought her. And dropped her.

Bennett spun around at the sound of something behind her. _No_. A handsome guy with a smile, wearing a Blackhawks jersey stood not five feet away from her. His oil black eyes glittered in the moonlight. Back to the door, Bennett shivered. She didn't need to ask why she'd been kidnapped. Didn't need to know that the demons wanted her for Pestis. No point in screaming. No point in begging.

"Hi ya." The demon said. "You're not an easy girl to find, Jaina."

"Don't call me that." She snapped, tension fueling her anger.

"But it's such a lovely name," The demon stepped closer.

Bennett dodged away from him. There was no point in running; even if one of the doors would actually open, she wouldn't get very far. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it was going to explode and she felt dizzy from fear. Or maybe from the headache. She turned to look back at the demon, only to find he had disappeared. Her hand reached out for the door handle again.

"Oh, don't do that pretty lady," the demon appeared behind her.

Bennett gasped and spun to face the demon. "What do you want?"

"I don't want anything. Well, maybe to have a little fun," the demon stroked the side of her face with a finger.

She backed away, but had nowhere to go but into a wall.

"You're all alone." The demon taunted. "All alone and you don't even have your cheap tricks, do you? I heard all about you and your little talent. Too bad someone put a spell on you."

"A spell?" Bennett asked, smelling his rancid breath as he stepped still closer.

He smiled, "Oh yes, a spell to keep you nice and tame. We heard what happened to our brothers in Tennessee. That's not happening now, is it? You can't do anything to me. Pestis will be here any moment. We had just begun the summoning. You are going to be the hostess with the mostess for Pestis and you get to scream inside your own head for eternity. And no one is coming for you. No one. Because they're all dead, Jaina."

Bennett sucked in a deep breath, hands pressed against the wall behind her. _Alone_. She had no way of escape. No way to hide. No way to protect herself. Almost giving in to the tears that were threatening to fall, Bennett shook her head. She was done being pushed around. Done with the whole mess. Moving away from the wall, she glared at the demon. He was too close, but that was to her advantage.

"Don't call me Jaina." Bennett said, then did what she'd done to the last demon who had called her that. She smiled as the monster collapsed to his knees, bent over in agony.

"You little…" He grunted, looking up at her. He motioned with his hand and threw her backwards into the wall. She collapsed to the ground with a shout of pain as the demon pushed himself to his feet and slowly stalked closer to her. "You're gonna regret that. So much."

One hand to her aching head, Bennett used her legs to push backwards; trying in vain to get away from him. Her breath caught in her throat as she found herself pressed back against the wall. The demon came closer until his terrifying face above her was all she could see. He grinned and lifted a knife, leaning down toward her.

But the demon stopped. Lightheaded, Bennett watched as the demon's eyes and mouth flared out in a bright white light. For a moment, he seemed suspended, then the light faded and she watched breathlessly as he crumpled to floor. Eyes wide, she stared at the body for a second, then looked up. Relief flooding her, Bennett smiled..

"Sam!"

* * *

_There, that wasn't such a bad way to end this one, was it? :) _


	22. Chapter 22

_So this one picks up from Sam's POV and starts just prior to the final scene in the last chapter..._

* * *

**Navy Pier  
...a few minutes ago**

Dean looked a little worse for wear. Sam wasn't too worried though because if he could move to hug Casey that fast, he would be just fine. He watched the two for a moment and could tell by the way Dean set his shoulders, he was not happy. He pulled away from Casey but kept his hands on her shoulders. Holding her at arms length, Dean asked "Why would you do that? Why would you leave? I thought we were a team. We're in this together, Casey."

Sam could hear the hurt in Dean's voice and see the anger in his eyes. Casey tried to apologize but Dean was having none of it. Sam watched as Dean pulled away from her, both emotionally and physically. Having experience with being pushed away by Dean, he knew it would eventually get better for Casey, but couldn't help but feel bad for her. After all, she was only trying to help. Goodness knows, I've done worse for the same reason.

"You ok?" He heard Dean ask Casey. She told him she was fine but Sam could see she was beginning to grow irritated with Dean and the way he was acting. _Again, I kind of know how that feels._

Dean turned his attention to him and continued to pull away from Casey. "How about you, Sammy?"

"Yeah, Cas fixed me up," Sam replied. "You look like crap though."

And he really did. Dean had a nasty cut in his hairline that left blood trailing down to his jaw. He also had various smaller gashes on his arms from where he must have rolled through glass.

"Crap happens." Dean said, turning away. Still ignoring Casey's attempts to get closer to him, Dean turned to head down the hallway and said, "Let's go."

"Do you want me to take a look at your head?" Casey asked.

"No." Dean replied flatly.

"But you're bleeding," She tried again.

"I said no," he snapped.

"Ok, geeze, you don't have to be such a jerk," Casey snapped back at him. Sam could tell she was done taking crap from Dean. If he didn't stop them now, he was going to have a very inconveniently timed couple's therapy session on his hands.

Before Dean could reply, Sam stepped between them. "We need to find Bennett," he said. He was growing more concerned by the second. If she wasn't with Dean then she was still in danger.

Casey nodded and extended her angel blade. "Take this, Sam."

"What about you?" Sam asked, hesitant to take the weapon.

"Superhero remember? I can take care of myself…" Ignoring Dean's irritated snort, Casey continued, "I don't want you without a weapon that will work against these monsters."

Knowing Dean still had Ruby's knife, Sam accepted the blade and the trio set off down the hall checking doors as they went. Eight doors and two hallways later they had divided to conquer. With each door, Sam held his breath and hoped that it would be the right one.

Pulling yet another door open, the first thing he saw was a demon throwing Bennett against the wall. Anger twisting his gut, he raised the blade and hurried across the room. He was quiet enough that the demon didn't notice him coming. Sam speared him in the back with Casey's angel blade before the creep had a chance to lay another hand, physical or metaphysical, on Bennett. Letting the demon fall to the floor, he got a look at Bennett's ashen face as she stared at the demon. She finally looked up at him

"Sam!" She smiled. "You have great timing."

"Not great enough." Sam said, kneeling next to her and pulling her into a hug. "I wish I'd been faster back at the apartment."

She fingered his bloody sleeve, "You were bleeding. Are you ok?"

"Yeah. We're all ok. Cas got to Casey and we're all here, Bennett." He touched her cold cheek, studying her closely. "How are you?"

"I'm hungry."

Sam laughed and sat back against the wall, letting her settle against his side. She dropped her head against his chest and sighed. He asked, "Anything else? I know you're freezing, but are you really ok?"

She nodded without lifting her head. "I'm cold and tired and my head is killing me but I just want this over. Sam, the demon said they had started the summoning."

"They didn't finish it." He said, "Dean killed the one doing the summoning."

"But we're going to have to summon it anyway, right?"

"Yes. If we're ever going to kill it we have to get it to come to us." Sam said, looking up as Dean and Casey headed their way. "But we're going to do it on our terms."

* * *

Casey froze. Mostly because she literally could not move another step forward. Crap. It wasn't the first time she'd run into a warded room, but this had to be the most irritated she had ever been. _I don't have time for this_. She looked up in time to see Sam waste the demon that was hovering over Bennett.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked from just ahead of her. He'd paused and looked over his shoulder to find her hovering at the threshold.

"The room is warded." She replied, then pressed her lips together in absolute disgust. "I hate it when this happens."

Dean turned and started walking away from her.

"Hello? You gonna stop being a jerk long enough to let me in?" Casey asked. She was beyond annoyed at this point.

Dean turned back around, "Maybe you should go off and find your own way in," he spat, venom in his voice.

She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Break that sigil or, so help me Dean Winchester, I will break you." She let her eyes flash gray just to be sure he got the idea.

"Ouch." Dean held up a hand, walking back toward her, "Ok, ok, chill. Where's the sigil?"

Casey pointed, "Right there. Break it."

"Yes, I heard you the first time." Dean muttered. He lifted the shotgun Sam had given him earlier and slammed it into the flimsy wall. He looked at Casey. "Is it broken?"

She stepped forward and said, "Clearly."

"Easy, there." He said, hurrying to catch up with her. "I can't exactly see invisible ink, remember?"

Casey ignored him and hurried across the room toward Sam and Bennett. She breathed a little easier seeing that Bennett was in one piece and safely nestled close to Sam. Casey smiled slightly and said, "Hey, you ok?"

Bennett nodded, letting Sam pull her to her feet. She paled another shade as she did so, but there was determination on her face. Bennett held out a wavering hand and said, "Somebody give me a gun."

"Whoa, there." Dean frowned, looking her up and down. "What exactly were you planning to do with it?"

"They put a spell on me. That's why I can't do anything." Bennett explained, "If I can't use my abilities, then I want a gun."

Casey exchanged a smile with Sam as Dean shook his head, "No gun for you until you can hold out a hand without it shaking like a leaf, kiddo."

Sam asked, "Do you know what kind of spell?"

Bennett shrugged, looking baffled.

"Well, we're not going to figure it out here and now." Dean said firmly. He didn't want to wait around for any other demons to show up. "It's time we got out of here. We need that spell book and need to do a little research on what they used on you. Time to sit down and revise our battle plan."

"Can we sit somewhere with food?" Bennett pleaded, "I'm starving."

Dean snorted, "Yeah, we can probably work that out."

"Since my apartment is no longer exactly homey," Casey said, "let's just pop over there and get what we need. I know a pretty good all night place where we can make our plans."

Sam nodded, "Good. We should hurry. Those demons were summoning Pestis. It's already not happy. We need to end this tonight."

"Agreed. Ok, time to go." Casey said and a moment later, they were standing in her apartment.

* * *

They hadn't said one word to each other. Just grabbed the gear and headed out to the cars in complete silence. Bennett looked up at him questioningly as Casey slammed her car door. Sam shook his head and opened the back door of the Impala for Bennett. She got in silently and Sam silently got in the front seat. Dean was furious and, from the way she peeled out of the parking garage, so was Casey. Sam kept his mouth shut. Another time, he might have tried to talk to his brother. But tonight, he was just too tired to provide couples therapy.

The drive was mercifully not a long one. Dean followed Casey into a nearly empty parking lot of a brightly lit diner. Dean turned the car off and handed the spell book to Sam. "Figure it out."

Sam just nodded and got out. Dean wasn't mad at him for once, so he wasn't going to get in the middle of anything. He just grabbed Bennett's hand and hurried her into the diner. He pulled the door open and said, "Come on."

Bennett frowned, hovering and watching as Dean headed around the Impala to Casey. "What's wrong with them?"

"They're stubborn, that's what." Sam said, pulling her toward a booth in the far corner. "They'll be fine."

She slid in across from him, shooting him a doubtful glance. "They don't look fine."

"They'll be fine." Sam repeated, seeing a weary looking waiter head their way with two glasses of water. "What do you want to eat?"

"Chicken. Fries. Mmm a chocolate shake. And a coke." Bennett said, then repeated her order for the waiter.

Sam put the coffee mug at the edge of the table and said, "Just keep the coffee coming, ok?"

The guy nodded dutifully and wandered away. Sam put the book on the table and said, "Time to get this figured out."

* * *

Dean got out of the Impala and shut the door with a little more force than he meant. His disregard for Baby was a good indication of how ticked he was at the moment. He walked over to where Casey had parked her Mustang and took a deep breath, watching her get out.

"So are you going to talk to me now or are we just gonna stare angrily at each other?" she asked him, her voice dripping with sarcasm and irritation.

"What is your problem? You left _me_ remember? If anyone gets to be angry here it's me!" Dean shouted.

"You want to know what my problem is Dean?" Casey asked, her voice eerily calm.

Dean knew he was about to get an earful. _The calm are always dangerous_. "Is that not what I just asked?"

"See, it's what you're _not_ asking. That's why I am so incredibly ticked off. Dean, I left, I kept secrets from you. You're mad. I get it," Casey said, her voice getting louder with each sentence.

"So what am I not asking? I am sick of going in circles. Spit it out, Echo!" Dean grew more annoyed by the second. If Casey wanted to play games, she wasn't going win.

"Ask me why I left, Dean…" Casey started.

"You left because...," he interrupted her.

"Ask me!" Casey screamed at him.

Dean's eyes widened. He had never seen her lose her cool like that. Not even with him. Not even in Purgatory. "Ok fine," he started, voice softening. "Why did you leave?"

"I left for you!" Casey was barely containing the tears that shone in her eyes. "I thought I was protecting you!"

Dean closed the distance between them in two strides. He started to wrap his arms around her, his anger fading with each second. But Casey pushed him away. She pushed him hard enough to make him take a step back. "Echo, just calm down."

"Don't you tell me to calm down! You stand here and you act like my leaving hurt only you. Well news flash! It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life! I just got you back, just remembered you. I didn't want to leave." The tears were flowing unabated and Dean pulled her into his arms. She fought, hitting his chest with her fists. She cried, "Let me go."

"Not a chance." Dean said, pulling her closer still. "Why didn't you wait for me? Why didn't you let me help you?"

"I couldn't risk losing you. Not after I just got you back. I wanted you safe." Casey sniffed, dropping her head into Dean's chest.

"And you didn't think I felt the same way?" Dean gently placed a hand on each side of her face, forcing her to meet his eyes. "I love you, you impossible, stubborn woman. Losing you would destroy me."

"But…" Casey started to say something but Dean was done talking.

Dean pulled her face to his and silenced her with a kiss.

* * *

"So we don't need that smelly red cloth after all?" Bennett asked, pushing aside the milkshake after one sip. Nothing tasted good. She rubbed at her temples, head still throbbing. "I thought the dirt-bag angel said we needed it."

"Yeah, well, Cas has been known to politely mislead us before." Sam shook his head, glancing up at her briefly. "I think that everything he told us earlier was just a distraction to keep us from realizing he and Crowley were intending to use you."

Bennett watched him work for a few seconds and rested her chin on her hand. With a sigh, she slid her plate away. She wasn't as hungry as she'd thought earlier. Of course, it could have been the headache. Flinching as another sharp spike of pain drove through her skull, Bennett tried to ignore the pain and the static grating around the edge of her brain. The headache she understood; the static was another story. That was new. As of the last hour, in fact. Frowning, she squeezed her eyes closed for a moment. The pounding didn't relent, nor did the fuzzy static. At moments, she thought she could hear something more distinct, but usually it was just unrelenting white noise. And it was extremely irritating.

"You ok?"

"Headache." She opened her eyes and gave Sam a half smile. "So what about me? If we're going to get this new plan of yours to work, I need my abilities. How are we going to break that spell?"

"Actually, I think Casey can do it." Sam said, flipping to another page. "I mean, I don't know for sure what spell was used, but it looks like this one here will break it. And Casey's got the ability to pull it off."

"Good." Bennett said, looking out the window. Dean had just pulled Casey close to him for a kiss. She smiled despite her headache, then glanced over at Sam who was again engrossed with what he was writing on the page of his notebook. She said, "They sure are taking a long time out there."

Sam jotted down a few more notes and repeated yet again, "They'll be fine."

"You think they'll be much longer?" Her voice was impatient.

He looked up questioningly, "You in a hurry?"

Bennett grinned at him from across the table and said, "I was just wondering. If they're gonna be out there for awhile yet…"

"Probably."

"Then, can I come over there?" She leaned forward and pointed at the seat next to him. "I need more practice."

Sam raised an eyebrow, "At what?"

"Kissing you."

* * *

"Hard at work, I see." Dean quipped as he and Casey slid into the booth across from Sam and Bennett.

He put his arm around Casey's shoulders and waited for any kind of acknowledgement. His eyebrows shot up when Sam reached out a hand and pushed his notebook across the table without stopping what he was doing. And what he was doing was kissing Bennett with a great deal of enthusiasm. Dean glanced at the notebook, then back up at the couple across from him and Casey.

Casey laughed, "I guess they got a few things figured out, too."

"Apparently." Dean muttered, unamused. He glared at them, then finally raised his voice and said, "Hey. You two. Cut it out. Seriously! Stop right now."

"I need the practice!" Bennett whined, sitting back slightly and glaring at Dean. She looked so tired that the glare lacked any real conviction.

Dean shook his head emphatically, "No. No, actually you don't. You were doing just fine."

Sam cleared his throat and looked up guiltily. He pointed at the notebook and said hurriedly, "We found it."

"The spell to get Pestis to us?" Casey asked, "Or the one to undo what they did to Bennett?"

"Both."

"Good." Dean said, "So what's the plan?"

Sam waited until the waiter had filled their coffee cups and walked away again. He lowered his voice and said, "Casey has the ability to undo the spell on Bennett and we need that done first. We're going to need both of them to be able to pull this off."

"Meaning what?" Dean asked, not liking the sounds of this plan.

"They're the key." Sam said, pulling Bennett closer to him. "They've got the power, the abilities to take this thing out."

Casey frowned, "I thought the only way to take it out was with that spell Dad told us about, or by letting it have Bennett."

"Yeah, well, your dad," Sam paused and shook his head, "that just sounds so weird. Anyway, Cas lied."

"Of course he did." Dean muttered, grabbing a fry off of Bennett's plate, surprised to find most of her food untouched. "Do tell."

Sam nodded and met Casey's eyes, "Cas wanted to protect you, Casey. He knew Pestis would want you. That's why he got Bennett out. But we've got an idea of how to put all of the pieces together and get rid of it forever."

"We summon it, I paint it a picture so it thinks it's going into you, Casey." Bennett supplied, one hand rubbing at her head. "Then, Sam's going to start the spell to unbind the angel and demon. Once they're separated, you have the power to destroy them."

Casey nodded, relief flooding her. This sounded workable. Like they might actually pull it off. "Sounds good."

"Nothing about this sounds good." Dean complained, tightening his grip around Casey's shoulders. "But, as usual, we're short on options."

"We can do this." Casey said, looking up at him with a reassuring smile. "We know what we're doing."

He studied her for a moment, then nodded, "I know. I just don't like it. Where do we do this?"

"Someplace without a lot of people preferably." Sam shrugged and finished off his coffee. He added, "This is probably going to be...well, disastrous."

"I'm sure there's no shortage of good old empty warehouses." Dean conceded. Everyone else seemed to think this was a great plan. Didn't matter that Casey was some half-angel and that Bennett would, hopefully, have her powers back. He still didn't like it at all. Sighing, he asked, "Do we need anything else?"

"Just a twist of good luck." Sam said with a smile. "That wouldn't hurt."

* * *

_So what did you think? Everything looks good on paper, right? Come back tomorrow to see if everything goes as planned for Team Winchester...or if things will all come crumbling down. Again. :D_


	23. Chapter 23

_Alright, folks...here it is. The big battle with Pestis. Time to hold on for dear life... Will everyone live through the encounter? _

* * *

**Saturday, 0345  
****Warehouse  
****Chicago, IL**

Dean looked at her skeptically, "So? You got your groove back?"

Bennett frowned, then immediately hurled three pallets across the empty warehouse. She grinned, "I think I've got it back."

"Good." Casey nodded, glad the spell reversal had worked. "So far so good."

"So far." Sam agreed, with reservations. He knew this plan was their best option; their only option. But he still had the same reservations that Dean did about having Casey and Bennett using their powers against the plague demon. If there was any other way...

"Come on, Sammy, optimism!" Dean grinned, cradling his shotgun as he paced the room. "We're about to take down the Black Plague. Show a little enthusiasm."

Sam just shot him an irritated look. Not twenty minutes ago, Dean had been raining on the parade, and now he was acting like he wasn't worried. Sam said, "I'll be enthusiastic when it's all over."

Bennett nodded and asked, "What do we do now?"

"Now we give Pestis an invitation to the dance." Casey said, looking at each of them in turn and squeezed Dean's hand. "We're as ready as we're ever going to be. It's time."

Dean didn't like it. But he nodded at his brother. Sam didn't look any happier about the situation than he did. Dean said, "Go ahead. Give the ugly beast a call, Sam."

Sam began the summoning spell and Dean glanced over at the girls. Casey shot him a bright smile; the confidence and strength he'd grown to love when he'd first met her in Purgatory shining full strength. She held her blade with the comfortable practice of an experienced hunter. _Huntress,_ he corrected himself and returned her smile. Casey could do this. He knew it. Dean wasn't quite so confident about Bennett. Tossing a few pallets across the room was one thing; going up against Pestis was another. On the way to the warehouse, she'd admitted her headache hadn't abated. Her eyes were bloodshot, but she was at least standing up independently now and her hands weren't shaking.

Casey touched Bennett's arm. She asked, "Are you ready?"

Bennett smiled, "I've already got the welcome mat out."

"You're already painting a picture?" Dean asked, stepping closer as Sam continued to read through the spell. The wind was picking up outside and rattling the flimsy roof. He had a feeling it was about to be showtime.

"Yes." Bennett said, frowning slightly. As tired as she was, and as much as her head hurt, she was finding it more challenging than usual to paint the picture. It didn't help that she was still hearing static intermittently. Made no sense. She added, "It has to think it's coming into Casey from the start. And...I think it's…"

She didn't finish her statement because all the windows blew open at that moment and Pestis made its grand arrival. Dean pulled both girls back slightly as yet another horribly disfigured, melty-faced victim walked forward towards them. The face had once belonged to a teenage girl, but now it was grotesque and looked a thousand years old. Pestis looked around the room with hollow eyes, then seemed to focus on an empty space just to their left. Seeing the image of Casey that Bennett was painting, Dean assumed.

He pointed his shotgun loaded with rock salt at the monster; just to be on the safe side. Casey stared at the monster with focus, her angel blade gripped firmly in her hand. Sam was already beginning the spell to unbind the demon and the angel.

"My maiden." Pestis had a strangely soft and sweet voice. The voice of the _victim_, not the voice of the monster. It took another step toward the empty space and raised a hand, "I have long searched for you."

The room suddenly grew silent. The wind stopped. Then everything happened at once. Bright blue smoke poured out of the victim's mouth. A high pitched, ear-splitting wail assaulted their ears and a blast of wind blew them backwards. Dean lowered the shotgun as he sat up. Pestis was completely out of its last victim. It hovered in the air, growing, shrinking, writhing above them. He looked around and found that Sam was picking himself up, never having stopped reciting the spell. Dean realized that Bennett hadn't been flung off her feet. She was standing, hair whipping in the wind, staring in complete concentration at the blue smoke. Her hands were out toward it, face determined. Dean rose with Casey and watched as the blue smoke suddenly descended and seemed to settle into an eerie human form.

It stood a few feet in front of them. Just stood there. One more thing on a long list of things Dean didn't like about this situation. He asked, "It thinks it's in Casey?"

"Yes." Bennett's answer was terse and she didn't take her eyes off the apparition.

"Sam?" Dean called out, not liking how much effort it seemed to be taking for Bennett to paint the picture. _Time to hurry things up_... "How's it going?"

Sam gave him a thumbs up, but remained focused on the spell. Dean looked back at the ghostly blue figure in front of them. It tilted its head and lifted an arm; staring at the appendage as if uncertain it belonged there. Pestis moved both arms and took a step, looking around. It glanced over at them and fixed its stare on Casey.

Dean asked in concern, "Why is it looking at Casey?"

Bennett said, "Casey, get behind Dean."

Casey moved quickly and Dean wished his gun would do something against the smoky human form in front of him. He asked, "Bennett?"

"It knows somethings wrong!" Bennett said, suddenly breathless. Her voice rose in panic as her hands shook. "It's too strong and it can hear Sam. It knows what Sam's trying to do!"

_Not good._ Dean shook his head, keeping his eyes on the monster. He shouted, "Hurry it up, Sam!"

But it was too late to hurry. Pestis looked over at Sam and threw him across the room to land in a heap on the floor. Dean fired the shotgun at the monster. The blast of rock salt did nothing. Didn't even seem to irritate Pestis. Shooting a quick glance at his brother, Dean was relieved to see him moving. Relief was short lived, though when he glanced back at Pestis. It was no longer looking at Casey.

Pestis laughed and lifted a smoky blue hand. Bennett screamed as if a knife had just gone through her. Lights flickered and she fell to her knees, spitting up bright red blood. Cursing, Dean headed toward her, firing the shotgun again. Dean heard Casey shouting his name. He didn't have the chance to respond, though because at that moment, Pestis grew about five feet taller. Dean watched the smoke monster stretch upward. The blue apparition of a human form flew apart in a huge billow of blue smoke with an unholy scream that sounded like a hundred jet engines.

Dean was almost to Bennett when the shotgun was wrenched out of his hands by an invisible force. Spinning in midair, the gun flew across the room and Dean saw Sam go down again, caught full in the chest by a near point blank blast. The next instant, the butt of the gun smashed Dean in the face and he went down hard into a heavy blackness.

* * *

Casey had realized things were going wrong a split second before Dean had caught on. She'd been waiting, not using her powers lest the monster realize the illusion. But her eyes had caught the flicker of pain on Bennett's face and she'd known right then that she needed to step up and help. The monster was going to be too much for either of them to control. Casey had been about to do something when Pestis had looked straight at her. A cold finger of fear touched her heart as the empty eyes of the blue smoke monster stared into her soul. Bennett told her to get behind Dean and Casey didn't hesitate; hating herself for her moment of cowardice, she told herself if there was any chance left that this would work, she needed to get out of its sight.

Then she'd watched as Sam smashed into a wall and everything seemed to happen at once. In horrible slow motion. Dean was firing the shotgun and walking closer to Pestis. Casey screamed at him to stay back, then put her hands to her ears as a horrible wail assaulted their ears. Dean kept moving toward Bennett and Casey watched as the girl collapsed bonelessly onto the cold floor. Casey held out her hand and let instinct take over as she tried to fight Pestis off. Despite her efforts, the shotgun was yanked from Dean and Casey screamed when Pestis smashed it into Dean's face.

Feeling like she was exploding on the inside, Casey felt the power flow out of her and send the smoke monster dissipating. It wasn't over, but it gave her time to run to Dean's side. There was a bleeding gash on his cheek and he wasn't moving. She screamed, "Dean!"

Kneeling at his side, Casey shook him and shouted his name, staring up at the blue smoke. It was regrouping, and given her previous encounter with it, Casey knew she was in trouble. Someone needed to be unbinding the angel from the demon or this wasn't going to work. "Please, Dean!"

Casey looked up and used her power to force Pestis back again. It was only a temporary situation, though. She could feel herself shaking. This plan called for teamwork and right now her team was in pieces. Glancing to her left, she saw that Sam was still sprawled on his back. Not moving. She couldn't tell if he was breathing. Looking in the other direction, she saw that Bennett had pushed herself into a half sitting position. Every other breath, she'd cough up more blood, but she met Casey's eyes. Casey shot her a shaky smile and waved her closer, then looked back at Dean. He was grimacing and beginning to move sluggishly.

"Dean, come on. I need help." Casey pleaded. Half of her mind was still focused on one thing. Holding Pestis back. She looked up as Bennett crawled closer, clutching her stomach and on verge of collapse as blood flowed from her mouth. Whatever Pestis had done to her, she wasn't going to live much longer. Knowing that her ability to hold Pestis back would be diminished for a moment if she saved Bennett, Casey leaned over and touched Bennett's forehead, healing the internal injuries.

"Thanks." Bennett whispered, wiping the blood from her mouth. "What are we going to do?"

"We're going to do exactly what we've been planning to do." Casey said with a confidence she didn't feel. "I need you to go check Sam. We need that spell."

Bennett nodded, casting a fearful glance over her shoulder at Pestis.

"It's ok. I'm holding it back right now." Casey said, realizing Bennett no longer looked like she was in control. She looked like she was about to cry. Trying to keep her focused, Casey urged, "Hurry."

Unsteadily, Bennett stumbled across the room and Casey looked back down at Dean. He blinked up at her and said, "Hey."

"Dean." Casey breathed out. "We're in a bit of trouble here."

"Ow." Dean groaned, reaching a shaking hand up to his cheek. "The heck happened?"

"Pestis swung your shotgun and used your face as a ball." Casey said, glancing up at the blue smoke again.

"Sam." Dean asked, trying to sit up and look around.

Helping him sit up, Casey made sure Pestis was still hovering against the back wall, then looked to her left. Bennett was bent low over Sam's still form. Dean turned and started moving in that direction, and Casey called out to Bennett, but she didn't hear any reply over the sound of the terrible screaming that Pestis unleashed as it came at them. She pushed Dean back and raised her hands to keep Pestis back.

But it was pointless.

Casey's scream was cut off as Pestis blew at her. She felt herself flying backwards to slam into the wall, then all she could see was blue smoke. Dean shouted her name. She felt a heaviness seep into her body; filling her, expanding her, lifting her. Casey was on her feet and couldn't breathe.

"Feels good to be home." Casey heard her voice say.

But she wasn't speaking those words. She watched in horror as her hands lifted and moved in front of her eyes as if she were seeing them for the first time. She wasn't in control. She heard herself laugh and watched as her boot kicked Dean in the gut. Casey tried to scream, tried to stop it, but instead she heard herself say, "This is so much better."

* * *

Dean heard Casey's voice. It was distant and muddled. He tried to focus past the pain in his head and the whooshing noise in the background. He vaguely remembered everything going wrong, but the details were fuzzy. Casey was talking to him again.

"Dean. We're in a bit of trouble here."

"Ow." Dean groaned, reaching a hand up to his cheek. Consciousness returned and so did the awareness of the pain. "What the heck happened?"

"Pestis swung your shotgun and used your face as a ball." Casey supplied the details, smiling down at him, then looking away.

Everything came back in a rush. Bennett collapsing, Pestis shooting Sam. Dean shifted, tried to sit up, looking for his brother. "Sam."

Casey helped him sit up and he started moving toward the left where he could see Bennett crying and leaning down over Sam. Bad sign. Dean heard Casey call to Bennett, but any response was lost in the sound of the horrible high pitched scream from Pestis. He looked back at the blue smoke and then saw Casey flying across the room.

"Casey!" He shouted, then felt himself flying backwards along with her.

They hit the wall and Dean looked over at Casey in time to see the blue smoke pour into her mouth. She rose to her feet as it filled her and his heart sank. He started to pull himself to his feet, trying to rework their battle plan. Trying to figure out how he was going to fix this new disaster.

"Feels good to be home."

Casey's voice. Not Casey speaking. Dean shook his head, searching for any sign of recognition in those beautiful brown eyes. But they weren't brown anymore. They weren't even the vivid grey he was beginning to get used to when she used her powers. They were a bright blue. A creepy, cloudy blue actually. Before he could speak, plead with her, she kicked him in the stomach. Groaning, he looked up as she smiled coldly.

"This is so much better."

"Echo." Dean said breathlessly. "Please don't do this."

Casey's pretty smile looked evil now as she looked down at him, "You don't get to tell me what to do, human. I have lived a thousand lives. But it has been hundreds of years since I have possessed such a fine host."

"She's not your host." Dean spat, "You're possessing her, you ugly beast."

"She is mine now." Casey's voice said, "And I'm not giving her back."

Dean launched himself at her, knocking her off her feet. He pinned her down and said, "Well, I am not letting you keep her."

She headbutted him and threw him off to the side with teeth rattling force. Dean rolled away from her. He shouted, "Sam!"

Casey, no _Pestis_, punched him in the face. Dean flattened on the ground, dazed. He caught a blurry sight of Bennett looking up at him. Sam didn't look like he was moving, but his eyes were open now at least. Then Casey was dragging him backwards and yanking him to his knees.

"I don't think you appreciate how powerful I am, Dean Winchester." She knelt and grinned at him. "I am going to do what I should have done back in 1353."

"Yeah?" Dean grunted, "What's that, ugly? Jump in a pit? I'm willing to push."

Pestis laughed, "I was thinking about a pit, actually. But I'm going to be doing the pushing. I might start with you and your friends here, then I'm going to find that squirrely freak Crowley."

Dean tried to wrench free from her grip, "You won't win."

"I already have." Pestis smiled smugly.

* * *

Bennett still felt shaky, but at least she wasn't bleeding from the inside out. Casey had healed her, but at what cost? She could hear the wailing of Pestis from somewhere behind her, but Casey had told her to check on Sam, so with that mission in mind, she focused on him. Praying he was alive, she knelt next to Sam, grateful to see him breathing. She shook his shoulder, fumbling with her other hand to reach for the spell book.

"Sam." Bennett whispered desperately. "Please, please wake up. We're in trouble here."

She found the book and flipped to the page Sam had marked. She felt fear grip her heart and tears flood her eyes. The words were foreign. They blurred. She didn't know the language, would never be able to speak the words. The words they needed to unbind Pestis. If they didn't unbind it, she and Casey would never be able to get rid of it.

As she blinked in dismay at the pages, the wind howled and Pestis screamed. Dizziness overcame her as she looked up. One hand on Sam's chest, Bennett watched in stunned silence as the blue smoke spiraled and twisted into Casey. She started to struggle to her feet, screaming, "No!"

But there was a hand on her wrist, tugging her back down. She looked down in tears as Sam shook his head. He was staring across the room and said softly, "It's too late."

"Sam." Bennett shook her head, "We can't…"

"We're not going to." He looked up at her and squeezed her wrist. He said, "We're not giving up, Bennett, but if you go over there it will kill you."

"What do we do?"

Sam turned his head away again and met Dean's eyes for a split second then Pestis was dragging Dean backwards. He put a hand to his chest and grimaced. The pain was intense, but he was breathing, so that was good. "Help me up. We need to get back on this spell."

"I tried to read it." Bennett sniffed, pulling him upright, that awful static again pressing on the edges of her mind. "I don't understand any of it."

"It's ok." Sam said, bracing a hand against his chest. Ribs. A couple broken. No question. He leaned against the wall, staring over where Pestis was beating on Dean. "Give me the book. It's in a stable host right now…"

"It's in Casey!" Bennett exclaimed, horrified. "It's my fault, Sam! I didn't do it right, it knew what I was doing and now it has Casey."

He pulled on her hand until she met his eyes. "Hey. It's not your fault. We can still do this. But I need that book and you need to get ready to deal with the demon. Once we get it unbound, you have to take care of the demon so that Casey will only have to deal with the angel part."

Bennett nodded, handing him the book. She followed him as he slid behind a crate. Pestis was occupied at the moment, so maybe they would have a chance. She watched as Pestis punched Dean and just hoped they were going to be in time.

* * *

Casey felt her fist connect with Dean's face and she screamed. But nothing came out except her voice speaking words that weren't her own. Even if she wasn't in control, she fought against Pestis and at least was managing to keep the monster from killing him outright. The angelic portion of Pestis was attempting to shred him, but by concentrating till her head ached, Casey held it back. She felt like she was on fire again. Burning from within with no hope of relief.

"Echo, please fight it!"

Casey heard Dean shouting. Not at Pestis. At her. He knew she wasn't in control, but he also knew she was still present; trapped inside her own head. He believed in her. He believed she could fight Pestis from the inside out. And she did fight. Even as her boot connected with his right side and he sprawled on the floor with a pained grunt. She screamed at Pestis and used her powers to keep Pestis from boiling his organs to mush. Having to watch as her hands beat him and watch blood stream from his split lip and the gash on his cheek was awful, but it was better than watching him die and know she hadn't been able to do anything to stop it.

"You're as pathetic as you look." Pestis said to Dean, using Casey's voice. "Your girlfriend is screaming in her head, my head, but she's going to watch you die. She's not strong enough to stop me, although she's giving me a headache."

Dean laughed and spat blood on the ground, holding his hand across his chest and looking up at the monster. He said, "Good for Casey. I hope she gives you more than a headache, you ugly mongrel scum. She's stronger than you think. She hasn't let you kill me yet, has she?"

Pestis shoved him backwards, putting a boot on his left hand. "Oh she will. I've got centuries of experience on my maiden."

Casey shouted as she felt bone snap under her boot. Of course, it did her no good to shout. Pestis didn't stop; just continued to stomp down on Dean's hand. Tears sprang to her eyes as she watched him shifting in pain, fighting against her, but unwilling to reach out and grab her angel blade and end it all. He could grab it at any time and end everything. But she knew he would never do that; no matter what happened. If she could just take over from Pestis, she'd grab it and end it herself.

Dean managed to wrench free from Pestis and knock her off her feet. He shoved her backwards, pinning her against the floor with his good hand. There was desperation in his green eyes as he spoke, "Casey,hang on, you hear me? We're going to get through this together. Whatever it takes."

Pestis screamed in fury and Casey felt her hands throw him to the side and kick him in the stomach. As she was pulled unwillingly to her feet by the monster inside her, Casey felt something twist deep inside of her. Her body felt like it had just been submerged into boiling water. Turmoil. Pain. Pestis was screaming and spinning, searching the room. Casey realized that the demon portion of Pestis was writhing. The spell. Sam must be starting the unbinding spell again.

"No!" Pestis screamed, but couldn't move to fight.

Casey felt herself collapse to her knees as Pestis struggled against the forces that were tearing it apart. Out of the corner of her eye, Casey saw Bennett on her feet, one hand raised toward her. She was pulling at the demon, keeping it distracted, Casey realized. Suddenly, she felt herself coughing, choking on black smoke as it poured out of her mouth.

* * *

Sam finished the spell. He gasped for breath, hand pressed to his chest. Bennett had been helping by pulling on the demon during the unbinding, keeping it distracted, busy, unable to fight back. Black smoke poured from Casey's mouth and Bennett took a step forward. Casey coughed until the smoke was gone, then her eyes flashed angelic blue. It wasn't Casey. It was the angel possessing her. And the angel was a monster, even if it was no longer attached to a demon.

Bennett was a few feet away from him, fighting with the demon, trying to destroy it. The demon was furious and extremely powerful. Bennett's face had paled considerably and her nose had begun to bleed as she fought with it. She might have been able to take out a houseful of demons under Crowley's guidance, but this demon had been paired up with an angel for centuries. It was not going down easily. Sam was about to go to her aid when he caught the sight of Casey grabbing her angel blade. Sam reached for his shotgun. Pestis was about to bring the angel blade down into Dean's chest. He stumbled forward and fired. The impact sent Casey's body tumbling away from Dean, giving him the chance to roll away and prepare for her next assault. Casey got to her feet, eyes blazing and looked straight at Sam. Sam fired again, but she deflected the blast. Her hand came up and a blast of light came at him.

"Casey, no!" Bennett shouted, turning from the black smoke and running toward Sam. She put out her hands and stopped the blast before it reached Sam. The minute she stopped fighting the demon, though, it headed back for Casey.

Pestis howled in anger, but Dean knocked Casey back down. Dean shouted, "Kill that demon!"

Bennett turned back to the black smoke and raised her hand.

* * *

With each blow, he felt himself growing weaker. He looked up into the bright blue eyes that belonged to the monster possessing Casey. Everything hurt, but the worst pain came from knowing that he'd let this happen. Hadn't protected her like he'd promised he would. Hadn't protected Bennett. And, yet again, had failed Sam.

He grabbed Casey's wrist and looked into her eyes. Searched for any sign of recognition. Prayed she could still hear him. Dean shouted, "Casey! You can stop this. You're stronger than that monster."

Pestis laughed and said, "She isn't, though, Winchester. She's just a scared little girl. And she's going to be screaming for the rest of her life."

"No."

"Yes." Pestis smiled, leaning closer. "She's the perfect maiden. Together, we're going to start a whole new world. And this time I'm not letting anything stop us."

Dean felt her hands around his neck and he reached up to tug helplessly at her wrists. Choking, he stared at Casey and, with his last breath, pleaded, "Echo, you can...I love you…"

* * *

Casey screamed. She heard his choked off words, felt her hands around his neck, saw his eyes closing. Everything turned to a haze and her hands flew away from his neck. Power flooded her system, and it wasn't Pestis this time. This time she was fighting back. Dean blinked up at her in surprise, coughing and trying to regain his breath, but Casey couldn't say anything to him. She was fighting Pestis with everything she had.

"No!" Pestis screamed.

Casey threw herself backwards against the wall. Angel blade, angel blade. She repeated those words over and over; didn't matter if Pestis heard. She had the upper hand for the moment and the only thing she could think of was to get that blade and run herself through with it and end this before anyone died because of her.

Each movement felt like she was slogging through a pit of tar. Casey could hear Dean coughing; he still hadn't moved toward her so she knew he was badly injured. Your fault. Casey shook her head, no, it wasn't her fault. Pestis was screaming in her mind but she blocked it out. Wind blew around her and the walls rattled frighteningly. She was the plague maiden Pestis wanted, but if she succeeded in getting Pestis out, it would surely choose Bennett. There was no choice left to her. _I'm sorry, Dean,_ she breathed, reaching out for the angel blade with a hand that fought her every step of the way.

Pestis let out another unearthly howl as her fingers closed around the blade and Casey felt like her head was going to shatter. But she was in control of her body now. She lifted her hand.

* * *

Sam watched as Bennett finished destroying the demon. The moment the black smoke evaporated and disappeared, she sagged to the floor. Halfway to her, Sam saw Casey with the angel blade raised in her hand and he shouted her name. Dean wasn't moving and Casey looked like she was planning to use the blade on herself.

"Casey, no!" Sam shouted and ran toward her.

She looked up at him and for a split second her eyes were the grey he'd come to expect when she was using her angel powers. Her hand hesitated and her expression softened as she looked at him. But, then her eyes flashed back to blue and he felt himself flying into yet another wall.

* * *

Casey saw Sam crash against a wall and wrapped her other hand around the blade. She wasn't going to let Pestis kill them. The monster had already used her to hurt them. Casey took one last look at Dean. He was reaching out a hand toward her, but she turned away. Couldn't let him see this.

She drove the angel blade into herself, feeling the angel portion of Pestis scream in agony.

* * *

"No!" Dean shouted, seeing Casey turn away from him. She had tears in her eyes.

It took more strength then he thought he possessed, but he rolled to his knees and forced himself to his feet unsteadily. Cradling his injured hand to his chest, he had made it halfway to her when a piercing white light suddenly exploded from Casey. He threw up an arm and pressed his eyes closed. The light faded and the room went completely silent.

"Echo." Dean called out hoarsely. She was lying on the floor, turned away from him. Motionless. "No, no, please…"

He reached her side and eased her onto her back, pulling her up close to his chest, ignoring the burning agony in his hand. Her eyes were open, just a pale grey as she blinked at him. He touched her cheek and she smiled at him weakly. Dean smiled back at her, watching in surprise as she reached up and pulled the long angel blade out, allowing it to drop at her side.

"Hey," He leaned down and gave her a kiss on her forehead, "Stay with me, ok?"

Her eyes flickered a brighter grey and he watched as the blood flowing from the wound stopped. Dean held his breath as she relaxed in his arms, then went completely limp. He said, "Casey?"

Fumbling with his injured hand, he tried to stop it from shaking long enough to feel for a pulse. "Please, please, come on!"

There it was. His heart rate returned to something closer to normal as he felt the beat of hers. Dean leaned his head down and pressed his forehead against hers, holding her close. Out of the corner of his eye, he stared at the blood stain on her shirt and he felt chilled. But she'd healed herself. She'd healed herself. It was over. They'd done it. He held her closer and just sat there. It was over and all he wanted was to feel her breathe and know she was alive.

* * *

Someone was crying. Sam blinked a few times, trying to orient himself. He realized he was lying on his side, facing a crate. _Ow._ Everything hurt. He considered rolling onto his back, then decided it was better to simply wrap his arm around his screaming ribs and try to keep breathing. If he held completely still...no, that didn't help because there was that pressing need to breathe. He remembered Casey with the angel blade…

No! Sam pulled himself shakily to his knees, leaning his head against the crate as he tried to get past the dizziness and pain. Someone was crying. Bennett. Which probably meant that Casey had stabbed herself. Sam managed to get to his feet, half crouched over as he took a stumbling step forward. He groaned and put out a hand against the wall to hold him upright.

Sam looked out across the warehouse. He saw Dean first. His heart hit his boots. Dean was sitting with his back to Sam, holding Casey and bent low over her still form. Sam shook his head, feeling numb. The room was completely silent except for Bennett's soft crying. Which meant the angel must have been destroyed. Sam swallowed hard and looked over at Bennett. She had curled up on her side, looking over at Dean and Casey. He crossed the room and fell to his knees next to her.

"Bennett." He soothed, running a hand through her tangled hair. She looked up at him with tear stained eyes and grabbed his arm. He pulled her upright and into a tight embrace. Every shiver and sob sent spikes of pain through his chest, but he held on. He didn't speak because, if Casey truly was dead, there wasn't anything he could say to make her feel better.

He glanced over at Dean. From this position, he could see better. Dean had his head pressed against Casey's and there was a bright blood stain on her shirt. The silver of the angel blade was marred with blood and lay at her side. No. Casey! He shook his head and whispered, "Cas. Where are you?"

* * *

Dean listened to Bennett's sobs, but didn't have the strength to raise his voice to her. He felt weary beyond words and hurt everywhere, especially his hand. After a minute or so, he heard movement and Sam softly talking to Bennett. Dean touched Casey's pale cheek, then looked up. Sam had Bennett in his arms and met Dean's glance. His eyes were troubled and Dean realized what it must look like. He smiled despite the split lip.

"We're ok." He said, then had to clear his throat and repeat it three times before it was loud enough for Sam to hear. "We're ok."

"Casey?" Sam asked, a hopeful expression on his face.

"She's ok." Dean said. "She, uh healed herself."

"Handy." Sam smiled, relief flooding his system. Bennett lifted her head off his chest and blinked bleary eyes at Dean and Casey. Sam asked Dean, "You alright?"

"Swell. You two?"

Sam nodded, "We're ok."

"Casey's ok?" Bennett whispered, trying to get up. Dizziness assaulted her, and she didn't even manage to sit up before she fell back against Sam.

Sam groaned. He helped push Bennett into a sitting position, then tried to get to his feet, keeping his hand across his chest. He dragged her up and held onto her because she clearly wasn't capable of standing up independently yet. Neither of them could stand up straight and he wasn't sure who was holding who up, but they finally made it over to the others.

Bennett knelt in front of Dean and Casey, a shaking hand reaching out tentatively to touch Casey's arm. Before she touched her, she shrank away in fear, eyes widening at the sight of the bloody angel blade. She backed into Sam who sat down heavily, leaning back against the wall.

"She's alive, Bennett." Dean said softly, seeing the fear in her eyes. "It's ok."

Eyes still flooded with tears, Bennett reached out again and touched Casey's hand. She asked, "Is it over? Did we...did we actually…."

"Kill the black plague?" Dean asked with a grin. "I think we did."

Bennett sank back next to Sam, her eyes closing in exhaustion as she rested her head against his chest. Sam put his arm around her and smiled at Dean. They'd done it. He let his own eyes close for a moment.

Dean sighed, then looked down as he felt slight movement in his arms. Casey's brown eyes flickered open slowly and she met his eyes. Dean smiled, touching her cheek again. He said softly, "Hey you."

"Deano?" Her voice was weak and she looked like she'd just gone twelve rounds with a Wendigo.

"It's me." Dean said, extremely relieved to hear her voice. "How are you doing?"

"Mmm, fantastic."

Dean laughed, "Well, you look about as crappy as the rest of us."

She touched his face and frowned, "You look awful. You're bleeding."

"Yeah, got into a little fight with the lady friend." Dean winked at her, "She packs a mean punch."

Casey huffed a weak laugh. "Shut up and kiss me."

* * *

_Aww... a happy ending, folks! Whew... they did it! Did you ever doubt our intrepid heroes? We only have two more little chapters left now. Hope you will stick with us to the end and that you have been enjoying the journey. Lots of thanks for the reviews and love to all from DamonsGirl 92 and me, Noxbait. :)_


	24. Chapter 24

_Well...the bad guy has been vanquished. Time to pick up some of the pieces... Hope you enjoy this little chapter. This is the last one, only a brief epilogue to follow later this evening. _

* * *

**Saturday, 0443  
****Warehouse  
****Chicago, IL**

"Ow!" Dean grumbled, "Stop, stop."

Casey shook her head and tried to blot at the bleeding cut on his cheek. Every step he took was unsteady and jostled her, but at least she didn't have to walk to the car. She still felt weak and dizzy and was grateful for his strong arms. Before he'd picked her up, he'd asked nicely this time and, for once, she hadn't complained when he'd lifted her into his arms. He tried to move his head away, but she pulled his face closer to her with the hand she had around his neck.

"Don't be a baby." She said, rolling her eyes. "I was under the impression that you were this tall, dark and handsome hunter. Was I wrong?"

"Not at all." Dean shook his head even though it made the world spin. He limped out the door of the warehouse and headed for the Impala. "I am all of those things of which you speak, fair maiden."

Casey groaned. "Don't even go there, mister. I'm nobody's fair maiden."

"Well you're _my_ fair maiden." Dean smirked, then groaned as he stumbled and pain shot through every part of him.

"I'll show you 'fair maiden'," Casey tried to wriggle from Dean's arms but quickly gave up when pain shot through her entire body.

Dean groaned again when she moved. "Hold still, you're heavier than you look." Casey hadn't been able to stand up, and carrying her now had every single ache and pain in his body screaming at him. His hand in particular throbbed with a vengeance.

"Sorry," Casey grimaced as she laid her head back down on his shoulder.

Finally reaching the car, he gratefully eased Casey onto the trunk. She leaned forward wearily, head resting on his shoulder for a moment.

After a moment, she sat up and put her hand on his shoulder. The tears she'd held at bay slowly started to trickle down her cheeks as she whispered, "That was horrible."

Dean nodded, a hand smoothing her hair back from her face. "I know. But it's over now. You did it, Echo. You killed Pestis and it's all over."

"We killed Pestis." She sniffed, feeling overtired and emotional. "We killed it."

He wrapped his arms around her as she began to cry in earnest. The sun was just peeking in between the buildings and Dean looked up at it, drawing in a deep breath. It was morning. They'd survived the night. Survived the battle. It was going to be a great day. He turned his head and glanced over his shoulder as Sam and Bennett slowly came outside together. Sam had an arm pressed against his chest and wasn't standing up any straighter than he himself had been. Bennett was snuggled under his free arm, eyes closed and head down.

Dean waited until they reached the car, then asked, "What do you all say we get out of here?"

"Where are we going to go?" Casey mumbled from her position against his shoulder. "My place is a disaster."

"We'll take you to our place." Dean suggested. "You'll love it."

"Um, it's an underground bunker, right?" Casey asked, lifting her head wearily. "In case you hadn't noticed, my apartment had a lot of windows. Besides I don't want to drive that far today. Let's just stay somewhere in town and then think about our next step. I just want to find a bed and collapse."

Dean nodded, looking each of them over. They all needed to collapse. He said, "Let's find a motel."

* * *

**Motel  
Chicago, IL**

"But I think it says I'm supposed to…"

"No, no...it's fine, just stop." Sam said a bit loudly, pulling away from Bennett's ministrations. She recoiled as if she'd been slapped; the bottle of antiseptic in one hand and the cotton ball in the other. Her eyes were wide and tears threatened to fall. Again.

"Quit being such a baby, Sammy." Dean said from the other bed. He smirked at his brother who shot him an irritated glare. Dean was amused for another ten seconds until Casey put a cold washcloth against his cheek and he shouted out in pain.

"Says the man who hasn't stopped complaining since he got out of the car," Casey rolled her eyes, leaning back against the nightstand. "Men. Seriously. Be still, will you?"

Dean groaned and tried to find a position that didn't hurt. There was no such position. He had his hand resting on a pillow while Casey tried to clean up the cuts and abrasions on his face. Nodding to his broken hand, he asked, "Any chance you could help a guy out?"

"Sorry hot stuff. I'm barely keeping my eyes open here. So unless you want me to take a really long nap, you are gonna have to heal the old fashion way. For now at least," Casey told him, her voice sad.

"Echo…" Dean started.

"I'm gonna go grab our gear. I'll be back," Casey said before he could finish. She stood up and placed a chaste kiss to Dean's lips before turning and walking out the door.

Dean sighed as she left and let his eyes close for a moment. Only for a moment, though, because he wasn't ready to give into the exhaustion that pulled at him. He rolled his head to the side to see if Sam was surviving Bennett's nursing skills. She was chewing her lip and holding out a glass of water and some pills. The bottle of antiseptic had been put on the side table. Dean smiled. _What a baby._ Then he moved wrong and almost groaned again at the pain in his hand.

"I'm sorry. Are you ok now?" Bennett was asking softly.

"It's ok." Sam nodded, accepting the pills. "I think maybe you don't quite know your own strength, Bennett."

"I've never exactly done this before, you know?" She replied, brushing at her hair with the back of a hand. "I can't heal anyone like Casey can."

"How is Casey?" Sam asked, looking at Dean.

"Not nearly as good as she wants us to think." Dean said and groaned as he pulled himself to the edge of the bed.

"She did beat the crap out of you." Sam nodded, grimacing as he shifted position in the chair. "And possession isn't something you just get over. And she stabbed herself…"

Dean nodded, "Therapy?"

"Maybe just a hug." Sam smiled.

"Good advice." Dean agreed and tilted his head toward Bennett who had retreated forlornly to the bathroom for another wet rag. He stood up and gritted his teeth against the pain and headed for the front door, calling over his shoulder, "She's been gone too long. I'll be right back."

"Not going anywhere." Sam said. But then he heard the sniffles from the bathroom. Fighting against the pain in his chest, he dragged himself to his feet and headed for the bathroom.

Bennett was leaning against the sink, her hands pressed to her head as he walked toward her. Hearing him approach, she looked up wearily; completely drained. She asked, "Did you need something?"

Sam stared at her for a moment, then smiled, "Yeah. You."

"Me?"

"You," he nodded and pulled her into a hug.

"But I wasn't being a very good nurse…" She mumbled against his chest.

"You were fine. Everything hurts at this point so it wouldn't matter if you were Florence Nightingale." Sam rested his chin on the top of her head. "How are you doing with all of this?"

Bennett gave him a shaky smile, "Ok. I'm just...glad it's over, but still not sure it's really over. It's been kind of a nightmare..."

"It's over. I promise. Pestis is gone."

"Good." She sighed. "I want to go home. Except I don't. Because I don't have a home anymore. What with everyone thinking I'm dead and all."

"Home is a very interesting concept, Bennett." Sam said, lifting her chin so she would look at him, "Took me a long time to figure it out, but it has more to do with the people than it does with the place. And if you want, you have a home. With us. With me."

She wrapped her arms around him, trying not to squeeze his chest too tightly and whispered, "I want that. I really do."

* * *

Dean found Casey standing at back of the Impala. Her arms were outstretched, bracing her on the trunk, her head hanging. As he got closer, Dean could see her shoulders were heaving. Despite his protesting muscles he quickened his pace.

"Hey… Hey, what happened?" he asked when he a few feet away.

Casey didn't respond. She lifted her head and looked up at Dean, tears streaming down her face. Dean quickly pulled her into his arms and held her close.

It wasn't long until Casey let go and sobbed. Dean just held her close to his chest and she clutched his shirt. He hummed a Metallica song while he rubbed soothing circles on her back. "Echo, baby, talk to me," he whispered. "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."

"I… I almost… I could've…" Casey tried to speak between sobs. "I almost killed you," she finally managed to choke out.

"Hey, that was not you. You didn't do anything to me," he tried to reassure her.

"I saw what it was doing to you and I couldn't stop it," Casey cried even harder into Dean's chest.

"But you did stop it. Echo, look at me," he tilted her head up to meet his eyes. "What you did today took strength I didn't even know existed. You're the strongest person I know. You've saved my life more times than I can count and I didn't doubt you for a second."

"But what if…" Casey started.

"It doesn't matter," Dean cut her off. "Because it didn't happen. I'm ok, we're all ok, because of you," he finished. He pulled her face to his and he kissed her. The kiss was long and slow and everything they both needed.

After a few minutes Dean pulled away and brushed away the tears that stained Casey's beautiful face. He smiled down at her and asked "You ready to go back in there?"

She buried her face in his chest again but after a moment, she nodded. She looked back up at him and gave a small smile. "I love you. I will always love you, even when some creepy demonic angel hybrid decides to take me out for a test drive," she stood on tip toes to give Dean one last, loving kiss.

Dean smiled into the kiss. If Casey could joke about what happened, he knew she would be ok. "I don't think we will have to worry about that happening again," he said when she pulled away. Dean took her hand and entwined their fingers. "Come on. Can we please go to sleep now?" Dean asked as they reached the door of the motel.

Casey just nodded as he opened the door for her. Stepping inside she stopped and smiled at the sight that greeted her. "Looks like they're way ahead of us."

* * *

**Saturday, 1500  
****Motel  
****Chicago, IL**

Dean tossed the last bag into the trunk. Sam was behind the wheel of the Impala and Bennett was in the passenger seat; or more accurately, she was sitting as close to Sam as she could possibly sit. Sam had an arm over her shoulders as he looked out the open window. Casey was leaning against her Mustang and smiled as Dean approached.

"If I find one scratch," Dean said, pausing by his brother. "one single scratch, I _will_ run you over."

Sam shook his head and said, "Just try to keep up with me, bro."

"Oh, honey, I'm driving." Casey called out, waving her keys and winking at him, "So good luck with that."

Dean stole the keys from her hand as he walked by. "Not happening, Echo."

Casey glared at him, but got in the passenger seat. She said, "I don't appreciate being bossed around, Winchester."

"I'm not bossy."

"You are the king of bossy." Casey rolled her eyes, looking in the rear-view mirror. Her eyebrows shot up and she remarked, "Are we going to wait for them? They look like they're gonna be there for awhile."

Dean glanced over his shoulder and laughed. Sam hadn't even started the Impala. He was too busy kissing Bennett. Dean rolled his eyes and waved a dismissive hand. "He knows the way."

Casey stole a kiss from Dean, then leaned over to flip on the radio._ Life is a Highway b_lared from the speakers and Casey moved to change the station.

"Hey! No changing the station," Dean said brushing her hand away from the radio dial.

"Excuse me?"

"I seem to recall a certain beautiful woman telling me that 'driver picks the tunes'," Dean smirked.

Casey smacked his hand away from her radio and continued searching for a station. "Yeah well, my car, my music. Sorry, Deano," she said and she settled back against the seat. She was still sore and tired, but things were looking up and she couldn't complain. She took Dean's hand and said, "I love you."

Dean smiled and glanced over at her. He lifted her hand and placed a kiss on her knuckles. "I love you too."

* * *

Sam heard the Mustang start up, but he ignored the sound. Bennett was practically in his lap by now and there was no way he was moving her. He heard the Mustang pulled out of the motel parking lot and down the road. Bennett sat back and glanced out the window.

"Did they just leave without us?" She asked, a quizzical smile on her face.

"I think so." He leaned closer for another kiss.

"That was kind of rude." Bennett said, interrupting the kiss.

Sam smiled at her, "They probably think _we_ were being rude."

"They've had more time together than we have." Bennett said, sliding closer again for another kiss. "Do we have to follow them?"

"In case you hadn't noticed," Sam said, kissing her, then pulling back and starting the Impala, "my brother is a bit of a control freak."

"So we have to go with them?"

Sam smiled, "Probably." '

She settled back in the seat with a sigh. "Alright. What are we going to do next? Is there like a list of monsters waiting to be...what's the word?"

"Ganked?" Sam supplied, heading for the interstate.

"Yes that. Is that what's next? Just find the next thing to kill?"

Sam nodded, "Pretty much."

"Casey said she'd teach me to shoot." Bennett said, fiddling with the radio dial. "Do you have a shooting range in that bunker of yours?"

"We do."

Bennett nodded, snuggling closer to him. "You have a kitchen?"

"Mhmm. Are you hungry?"

"Yes. Can we get donuts?"

"Sure."

She grinned, "Good. And then, let's go home."

* * *

_Well there you have it folks! We have reached the end...sniff sniff... This project took DamonsGirl92 and I two months and now we don't know what to do with ourselves! We have loved the process, loved hearing from so many of you, and are glad you have been enjoying! We do have exciting news... We have a working outline for a sequel! I know some of you have mentioned that and we have actually had it in the works for awhile now. _

_It probably won't be ready until June/July since someone decided to get married next month...DamonsGirl92! All her fault. ;) Anyway...we hope you will look for us in a few months for the next tale!_

_Thank you all so much for reading and for taking the time to drop us a review! We always look forward to them. _

_Stay tuned later this evening for the epilogue... Did anyone wonder about a couple of missing conspirators? Hmm...what have Crowley and Castiel been up to in the last few chapters? Check back tonight for the answer! _


	25. Chapter 25: Epilogue

_Shall we find out what Castiel and Crowley have been up to lately? _

* * *

**Unknown location**

"This is all your fault."

Castiel clenched his fists and shook his head, "The repetition of those words will not make your statement true."

Crowley glared at him from the other side of the room where he stood in a devils trap. "I _told_ you it was a bad idea."

"You are a bad idea." Cas muttered, turning around in the circle of flaming holy oil. He cursed the rotten luck that had left him trapped by Abbadon's minions with Crowley.

"Oh, Cas, you have been hanging around with the Winchesters too long." Crowley continued, "Your comebacks are as lame as theirs are."

Cas glared at the demon, "I have no desire to speak with you."

Crowley grinned although he wanted to punch the angel in the face. "Well, you haven't got much of a choice, now have you? Because the last I checked, we were trapped together." His voice grew louder as he spoke, "And it is all your fault."

"I was protecting my daughter!"

"And you were willing to kill some innocent girl to do so." Crowley _tsked_, "Shame on you, Castiel. Now, me, that was a plan I could have gone for, _did_ go for, but aren't you supposed to be the angel? Anyway, it doesn't matter now, does it? Doesn't matter what your little plan was. Because we're trapped and they're all out there doing who knows what. You should have just stayed away from Casey."

"She's my daughter." Cas repeated, then narrowed his eyes, "How is it that you were part of her life anyway?"

"Had a thing for BeaBea." Crowley grinned again, thinking back. "Her great granny. Lovely lady. Spunky like Casey. She went for a farmer instead. But not before she used a spell on me."

"A spell?"

"Instant family friend, you might say. I am rather at their service." He sneered in distaste, "I had no idea you were Casey's father, though. Really, Castiel, how'd that happen?"

"It is none of your business, Crowley."

Crowley shrugged, "I knew she was half angel. Helped her find you actually. Well, helped her try to track down her father at any rate. Never expected it to be you."

"You are so fond of her and yet when she came back from Purgatory, where _you_ sent her, with no memory of being there, you never questioned it?" Cas shot back at him.

"She is a woman, Castiel." Crowley rolled his eyes. "I figured she didn't find what she was looking for and she didn't want to talk about it. She may call me her uncle but that doesn't mean we had frequent family reunions and spilled our deepest secrets. I had other things to do than worry about what was happening in that twisted little head of hers."

For a moment, they fell silent. Cas, for the hundredth time, looked the room over. Inch by inch. Still no weaknesses. Still no indication of where they were. He didn't even remember how he'd arrived. Just remembered coming to consciousness to find himself trapped with Crowley. Not a good day at all. He slowly sat down in the circle. They were going to be here for awhile.

Crowley shook his head, "Giving up so soon, Cas? We've only been here for a day or so. I would have expected some of that Winchester 'can do' attitude would have rubbed off on you by now. Besides, I'm sure that once your compatriots discover you are missing, they'll come find you."

Cas shook his head silently.

"Ah, come on then." Crowley said, also sitting down. He glanced around the room and said, "I spy with my little eye... something grey."

"The wall."

"No, you idiot!" Crowley shouted, patience completely shot. "The floor. Seriously, Castiel." He tried to rein in his fury. Using his most polite voice, Crowley said, "Let's try again. I spy something black…"

Castiel glared at him and didn't respond.

Crowley waited for several seconds, but Cas remained silent. Crowley glared back at the angel and muttered, "Well, you're absolutely no fun."

* * *

**_Fin_**

* * *

_Serves them right, don't you think? :) Someone should probably get around to rescuing them... _

_Again, a thousand thanks to all who have read our little tale...and especially to you lovely people who left us such nice reviews along the way! Hope to see you again in the future._

_Blessings, Noxbait and DamonsGirl92_


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